Our Secret Garden
by BoomAndSparks
Summary: AU. Rachel doesn't want to sing & Quinn doesn't want to model anymore. Striking a friendship, they become closer, with a little help from a secret garden. Their friendship ignites other feelings in their minds, which they try to understand & explore.
1. Chapter 1

**N/A **Hey :) I thought I would first quickly tell you some things that you might want to know before you start reading this Fanfic. This is my second story I have written, my first one is called 'It Starts With A Slap', which you should take a look at if you would like to! :)

Basically, this is a Faberry Fanfic and is set at the very beginning of Senior Year. I am using the same characters from Glee, but making them my own, if that makes sense.

There will be humour, smut and maybe some angst into the story.

Also, the title of this story will become more apparent in a couple of chapters in :)

So, I hope you enjoy and please leave reviews if you have time, so that I know what people think! :)

P.S. I don't own Glee or any of the characters, though I would love to.

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><p>1st of September 2011 and all the McKinley students are coming back to school after having six fun-packed weeks off. For many, it will be their last year before they all go their own ways and enter the big wide world to start their own adventures, depending on what they chose to do. As the first bell of the day rings throughout the crowded hallways, students rush to their first class of the day, all dreading having to sit back down in those cold plastic chairs and listen to information they really don't care too much about.<p>

All of the senior students had to go to their first class, except for a special few. These were the kids from the Glee Club, the most disrespected group in McKinley, just because they were different. Only a small amount of people could see that they were different because they were _unique._ Mr Figgins, the head teacher of McKinley, had given special permission for the Glee kids to have a meeting in the morning, meaning they had to miss their first lessons. This was all down to Mr Schuester, the Glee Club's teacher. Mr Schue, as the kids liked to call him, was in his mid 30s and had short, curly brown hair which was always styled with a little gel and would constantly wear his signature argyle vests. If you asked one of the Glee kids to describe Mr Schue, they would probably say that he was nice, supportive and good fun, but he did have the tendency to be a little selfish, especially when it came down to picking out the songs they were going to sing. The kids had gotten used to letting him decide, but suffice to say, they were all pretty decent at singing 'Journey' songs, they have had a _lot _of practise. Mr Schue had told Mr Figgins that he would really like to speak to the kids first thing, just so they could organise when Glee Club would be held and to just have a general catch-up.

Hearing the news, the Glee Kids all made their way down the deserted hallway and into the choir room, which sat just opposite the toilets and in the middle of a wall of lockers. Light yellow walls, a laminated, worn, pale floor, some drums, a couple of guitars and some trumpets were what the choir room entailed. It wasn't the height of glamour, but it held fond memories for every single one of the Glee Club, all different; some good, some bad.

Mr Schue was standing next to the piano waiting eagerly, when he heard the familiar footsteps of his favourite group of students. They all walked in one-by-one and greeted Mr Schue in their own distinctive way.

First to come in was Noah Puckerman; the school's badass, but most of his friends call him Puck. Leather jackets and jeans were his style and he would try and intimidate younger students, but at the end of day, he is like a big friendly giant. If someone was special to him or he had a lot of respect for them, then he would do anything for them and protect them against anything that showed a threat.

As he walked passed Mr Schue, he shot him a high five, but as Mr Schue went to smack his hand, he swooped it under and laughed out loud, before taking his seat next to the band's equipment.

Second to make their appearance was Sam Evans. Sam was mostly known for his big mouth and his bright blonde hair, but he was also becoming known for being an amazing synchronised swimmer, as he presented when he took part in the school championship during the summer. He was a charmer and would always try and impress people with his humour. Even though he wasn't that good at jokes, you couldn't help but laugh and think he was cute. One person did fall for his charm and humour over the summer and that was one Mercedes Jones, who happened to walk in right behind him holding his hand.

Mercedes was a curvy, coloured girl with a powerful voice and the attitude to go with it. She wasn't mean or bitchy but she would always put her opinion across, but made sure that she wasn't hurting anyone in the process. Since meeting Sam over the summer, she has become less spoilt about wanting to be the solo singer or having the biggest role in the numbers they performed, which for many members of the club is probably a good thing.

Sam and Mercedes shot Mr Schue a smile before taking their seats next to Puck, immediately commencing in a deep discussion about their summer holidays.

A little while after, a blonde, long haired girl made her way through the door. This was Quinn Fabray. Mainly known for being Lima's Young Model of the Year in 2010 and is in high rankings for the same award this year. Quinn's summer was more interesting than some, as this summer Quinn came out to her parents and peers. She always knew she was gay, since a very young age, so she didn't see any reason not to just be and let people know. Telling her parents was easier than imagined. Judy, Quinn's mom, took a little longer to get used to the idea than her father, Tony, but came around to it eventually and was happy for her daughter, as long as it didn't come in the way of Quinn's modelling. Today, she was wearing a maroon dress and some black tights, with a pair of dark, red pumps, her hair falling naturally over her feminine shoulders.

Walking shyly past Mr Schue, Quinn said a quick hello and made her way to sit behind Puck, Sam and Mercedes.

As the others were chatting about anything and nothing, Santana Lopez came through the door, hands interlinked with Brittany Pierce. The pair have been inseparable for at least two years, having dated since junior year. They never really came out as it were, they were just best friends one day and then a couple the next, but that was perfect for them, they had never been happier. Santana was head cheerleader of McKinley and Brittany was also a cheerleader, just not as high up in the cheerleading scale. Santana was Latina and had shiny, dark brown hair just below her shoulders, while Brittany has bright, blonde hair like the sun, which she would usually have up in a high ponytail. Santana was a little deviant most of the time and liked to say it as it was, but people always knew there was something deeper about her, but they just couldn't pin point it. Her girlfriend on the other hand was just happy to be alive and you would never see her without a smile plastered on her face. Brittany's mom had passed away two years ago to the silent killer that was cancer. It had been a devastating and heartbreaking time for Brittany, but Santana had been there throughout the whole thing, being her knight in shining armour. On her mom's anniversary, Brittany does a 5km run in aid of her mom's charity and anyone that wanted to join was more than welcome. It was due to be her mom's second anniversary in two weeks time, the 15th of September, so Brittany was always happier around this time. She didn't treat her mom's death with sadness, yes, at the time it was incredibly sad, it was like losing something that you knew you were never going to get back, but now she realised her mom wouldn't want her to be gloomy and keep grieving, she would want her to live the life she has been given and to make the most of everything, so Brittany did. Over the many years at school, Brittany has been picked on for being a little slower in the head than most and not very clever with many subjects, but she was an amazing dancer and no one could ever take that away from her. If anyone targeted Brittany, Santana was the first one to step in and shout in Latin at them about how 'they don't know what Brittany's been through and they should think before they speak' or along those lines.

Brittany skipped past Mr Schue and ran to hug her friends, while Santana casually walked past him and gave him a nod of the head. The pair, in their matching cheerleading outfits, jumped up on the back row to greet their other best friend, Quinn.

The next threesome to come in was Mike Chang, Tina Cohen-Chang and Artie Abrams. Mike was pushing Artie in his wheelchair and Tina was walking behind them. Artie was the only kid in a wheelchair at McKinley, so did have a hard time when it came down to getting around school, but he had all the support from everyone in Glee Club, so he got on well. Unfortunately, he was in a car accident when he was very young and it had damaged his spinal cord beyond repair, but like Brittany, he was happy and lucky to be alive, so made the most of everything. He was a clever kid, so instead of using his body for talent, he used his brain, which had definitely not been damaged. Today he was sporting a blue jumper and some black pants with his unique black, rimmed glasses, which always looked like they were going to slip off, but somehow managed to hang on. Mike, a tall Asian athlete, was quite a quiet boy and didn't really have much to say, but when he did speak, he was always nice and didn't ever judge or pass criticism about anyone. He would always wear his signature converses and some sort of chequered top and skinny jeans. Tina came in after them, playing some sort of game on her iPhone. She was also Asian, just like Mike. Being a goth, she has always been bullied for wearing black, but she was used to it now and ignored it, knowing the bullies weren't worth it.

All three of them, smiled warmly at Mr Schue, before quietly making their way to the group of Glee kids and sat down in the front row.

The last kids were finally making their way into the choir room. Two squabbling boys were next to come in. Kurt Hummel and his step brother Finn Hudson, walked in while they were arguing about who had eaten the rest of the cereal and didn't leave any. Finn was adamant that Kurt had eaten it, but Kurt said that their cat had done the crime, Finn believed him and continued to walk in, but what he obviously didn't seem to realise was that they don't actually have a cat. Kurt and Finn became step brothers last year when their parents fell deeply in love and got married. At first Finn wasn't too sure, as he found it a little weird because Kurt was openly gay and for some reason, this didn't settle right with Finn. Luckily, he is more accepting of it now, but it did take a year. Finn was wearing his normal letterman jacket and jeans, with his hair messy and ruffled, whereas Kurt was the complete opposite, wearing the latest designer jumper and jeans, with fashionable shoes; they couldn't be more different.

Finn strolled past and gave Mr Schue a proper high five, of which Mr Schue delightfully returned, whilst Kurt just strutted past Mr Schue, without really acknowledging him. Finn and Kurt took their seats in the last two seats in the front row and waited for the final person to arrive.

Mr Schue looked around, before counting the number of students and then finally spoke up.

"Right, hi guys! Good to be back. I just wanted to have a little meeting about what days we should have Glee practise on, but before I start, has anyone seen Rachel?"

As if on cue, Rachel Berry finally walked through the door.

"Ahh, you're here, take a seat Rachel," Mr Schue said while smiling and pointing to the seats.

Rachel Berry was definitely known for her voice and her impeccable talent on stage. Rachel was top in pretty much all she did; classes, exams, Glee Club, Maths Club, the debating team etc. She was very head strong and knew what she wanted. People who didn't know her very well, may seem to think that she was completely independent and spoilt, but under the thin layers of strength lay a vulnerable girl, who just wants to have friends and do what she loves. Everyone expected so much from her, if the Glee Club had to prepare a number or compose a song, they would immediately turn to Rachel and as she had a bad problem of never being able to say no, she would always take up on the offer and work her butt off to not let anyone down. In actual fact, she just wanted to be herself and have a laugh and not have so much pressure on her shoulders. Rachel has two gay dads, Michael and Jason, who love that Rachel has become such a lovely young lady, but they do put a lot of pressure on Rachel when it comes to her singing. Unfortunately, Michael and Jason both wanted to be a Broadway star or be able to act and sing, but neither have good voices and neither can act to save their lives, so they want Rachel to make the most of the gift she has been given. She usually wears argyle sweaters and mini chequered skirts with thick woollen tights, but today as she calmly walks across the choir room, she is displaying black skinny jeans, a black vest with a dark, pink shirt over the top, opened down the front and her luscious, shimmering brown hair falling loosely on her shoulders, tucked behind one ear.

She smiles confidently, but not arrogantly at Mr Schue, before hopping onto the back row of chairs and taking a seat next to a grinning Brittany.

As Mr Schue started talking again and people had stopped staring at the newly dressed Rachel, Brittany leaned over to Rachel and whispered so only Rachel could hear.

"You look nice today Rachel, you look different, but a good different," Brittany smiled as she leant back again.

It was now Rachel's turn to lean over to Brittany.

"Well, new school year, new me," Rachel replied with a similar smile.

Rachel went back to her original position and Brittany then leant in again. It was like some sort of game.

"I like the new you, you look gorgeous, but you still are the same Rachel inside right?" Brittany looked worried.

"Of course Brittany," Rachel smiled sympathetically at Brittany, before reaching over and squeezing her hand.

As they both stopped their transitions of whispers, Rachel got out her notepad and went back to listening to Mr Schue, what they hadn't noticed was that Quinn had watched the whole exchange and took in what Rachel had said. Quinn had smiled when she saw Rachel being a little different, she looked happier some how, more content with herself.

As Quinn sat back in her seat, she thought over her and Rachel's past.

Rachel and Quinn had been in the same school since they came into freshman year. Being in different groups and having dissimilar sort of friends meant that they never really noticed each other, or even got to talk to each other. It wasn't until the start of sophomore year that they finally got to know each other's name, as they were in the same Math class. At that time, they knew each other's name and what they looked like, but no more than that. For a whole year, they were civil with each other and treated each other like a friend they didn't know yet. For some reason, no matter how the partners were picked in class, they were always seemed to be paired up for class work. Laughing, chatting and smiling, they soon found out a bit more of each other and what their interests were and what they disagreed on and so on. Unfortunately, due to the stupid system of high school, they never really managed to see each other out of class, as their groups were a little less accepting on hanging with other people.

In the November of junior year, Santana and Brittany finally got together, thus making them even more popular. This was also around the time that Santana was promoted to head cheerleader. Rachel was the target to most bullying, yet from her headstrong personality and her ability to not cry; she managed to keep a low profile and didn't have much trouble for a little while. December in junior year, things changed between Rachel and Quinn. Santana started to bully Rachel a little, the slight name calling here and there, the odd slushy and then it even got to shouting and writing comments on her MySpace page. As Santana enjoyed her position of head cheerleader and the advantages which came with the role, Quinn took a back seat and didn't even try to protect Rachel; she was stuck in the middle and didn't know what to do. In class Rachel would plead her to get Santana to stop, but then on the outside of school, Santana would persuade her to just keep out of it or join in. Quinn thought it was best to keep out of it rather than adding to Rachel's misery, but she so badly wanted it to stop. No one ever really knew why Santana did it, apart from doing it just because, well, because she could. Rachel and Quinn stopped talking for the rest of junior year, thinking it would be easier than trying to discuss the situation; they were only young and felt confused of what to do. Santana eased her bullying towards the end of junior year, mainly because Brittany made her, telling her that it was wrong and Rachel didn't deserve it; no one did. Santana kept her word to Brittany and didn't bully Rachel again. Rachel was pleased to have Brittany on her side and made sure she kept Brittany on her good side.

Over the long, sunny summer, there were various Glee Club get-togethers and parties and in every single one, Rachel avoided Quinn and Quinn didn't attempt to talk to Rachel, not because she didn't want to, she just didn't know how to. Words were a lot harder to say, when you don't have the words in the first place.

As Quinn zoned back into the room from her deep thinking, she realised that Mr Schue, was _still _talking.

"Okay, so we've sorted that we will meet on Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays after lunchtime, because you all have study frees? Oh, the privileges of being a senior!" Mr Schue laughed.

"Sounds good Mr Schue," Mercedes smiled towards the front.

"Right, well I suppose you can all head off to your classes now, unless you all want to do a quick song just to get back into the swing of things?" Mr Schue smiled widely.

He would pick singing songs in Glee over teaching Spanish any day.

"I'm up for that," Finn smiled from his seat next to Mercedes.

"I'm game!" Puck nodded.

"I think we should sing 'You Can't Stop The Beat' from 'Hairspray', mainly because it's an incredible song and it's upbeat," Kurt helpfully added from his perch next to Finn.

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Rachel who currently had a notepad on her lap and was writing down something that no one could really see. As people made their way to the front of the choir room, Kurt looked back and saw that Rachel wasn't following. He quickly jogged back over and leant on the chair in front of her.

"Hey Rachel, you're not coming? We're singing… a song… of which you can be the main singer?" Kurt nudged her leg and laughed light-heartedly.

Rachel closed her notepad subtly and tucked it in her bag on the floor next to her, before turning to Kurt and coming back from her daze of writing.

"Sorry Kurt, away with the fairies, yeah, sure, what are we singing?" Rachel smiled sweetly.

"Away with the fairies? That doesn't sound like you," he questioned before continuing, "we're going to sing 'You Can't Stop The Beat'."

"Sounds great!" She grinned quickly, before leaping off the chair and joining the others.

Mr Schue stood to one side and let the kids quickly get ready and let the band prepare themselves before starting.

Rachel stood next to Puck at one side, while all the other were also standing around in some sort of circle.

Mike looked to Tina, Tina looked to Artie and Artie looked over to Quinn and Santana, who looked towards Finn, before all eyes fell on one oblivious Rachel.

"Umm, hey Rachel, you're not going to sing up front?" Finn asked while shifting awkwardly on his feet.

"Yeah, go on Rach, we need someone to start us off," Tina smiled from the opposite side.

Rachel looked around the circle, to find pleading eyes on her. She thought it through; she really was trying to start fresh this year, make sure people realise that she was different now, not wanting to be the center of attention as much and would rather write in her notepad than sing a song, but as she looked into the eyes of her fellow Glee Club members, she realised that she would have to introduce the new her a bit more slow, just so people don't go questioning everything.

"Of course I will, I wouldn't want this number falling apart now would I," she smiled and nodded her head, before marching into the centre of the circle, and tapping her foot, counting the band in.

"_You can't stop an avalanche, as it races down the hill…"_

As the Glee kids sang their hearts out and bopped around to the upbeat song, Mr Schue breathed under his breath, "there's the Rachel Berry I know," before smiling and joining in with the dancing.

Everyone's attention was either on themselves or a friend during the number, but Quinn's thoughts and eyes were elsewhere. She saw the way Rachel had approached this number, it was almost as though she really didn't want to sing, or wanted someone else to sing it at least. All in Glee Club had noticed that Rachel's style had changed, how could you not? But when she hesitates to be the main singer in a number, then you start to think something is not right. Quinn looked around, and no one else seemed to be that bothered about Rachel's attitude. Quinn shook the thoughts away and went back to bouncing around with her friends, before the next class started.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As the final bell rang for the end of day, students gushed into the hallways. The clangs and bangs of lockers opening and shutting filled the hallways, before all the students quickly dispersed just as quickly as they came, before running to catch their bus and casually stroll home with their friends.

Santana met Quinn at their lockers after school just at the right time.

"Fabray, how's it going?" Santana gave her a quick nudge to the arm, before putting her folders into her locker.

"I'm okay, first day wasn't too bad, except they already gave us a history assignment and it's only been the first day!" Quinn whined before banging her head lightly against her locker to exaggerate her annoyance.

"Damn, unlucky," Santana remarked, not seeming like she really listened.

"Yours?" Quinn asked, before copying Santana's actions of exchanging her folders.

"You know… same old. Seems like we never even left this place," she shrugged.

Quinn laughed before closing her locker and turning to face Santana.

"You didn't see a change in Rachel today did you?" Quinn asked randomly.

"With her clothes, hell yeah. She actually looked, as much as I hate to say it, pretty good. It suits her," Santana replied, before checking her phone.

Quinn nodded before continuing.

"No, with her attitude? Like, the way she went about… everything?" Quinn probed.

She wanted to think that it wasn't just her that was recognising the changes in the little brunette.

"Don't know. She didn't seem too bothered about the number this morning, but maybe it's just because she didn't get her choice of song or something, who knows," Santana shrugged once again, before picking up her bag and starting to walk down the hallway, beckoning Quinn to follow.

"I don't know, as she didn't really say her song choice, she didn't even push about being main singer. I am probably just thinking too much about it, but you know, I do care about her, we became really good friends, before… all of that stuff happened," Quinn sighed sadly, remembering the friendship she used to have with Rachel.

As they made their way out of the school doors, Santana stopped and turned Quinn by her shoulders to look at her.

"Right, you just need to talk to her. You avoided her all summer and to be honest, the whole _thing_ wasn't even your fault, it was mine. I was a bitch to her and hell, it was hilarious, but I've stopped now. What's stopping you talking to her now? You were friends right? Nothing is stopping you from being friends again. I don't really like her all that much, though if she stays with this new persona she's got going on, hell, I might even become to like her," Santana chuckled before swaying down the school path and walking towards her home.

Quinn stood there for a little while, taking in what Santana had stated. There wasn't anything stopping her, it's just she was scared of how Rachel would react to her talking to her again, because at the end of the day, Quinn wasn't there for her friend when she really should have been. Quinn had been a coward and needed to make it up to her; she just needed some time to get to know the brunette again, before she could strike that fun friendship they once had.

Quinn smiled to herself, before plugging in her iPod and casually making her way home.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	2. Chapter 2

**N/A **Hi again :) I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm always nervous when I put up new stories. This one explains more fully the title of the chapter :) I say no more… ;)

Enjoy

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><p>Walking up the path to her big luxury house, Quinn turned off her iPod and prepared to be on slaughtered with her mom's annoying voice. Don't get her wrong, she loves her mom to pieces, especially as she has accepted her, which Quinn never thought she would, but it's just her mom pushed Quinn a lot when it came down to modelling. Judy believed that Quinn was beautiful, which she was but it wasn't important to Quinn, her looks where the least of her desires. Judy entered Quinn in every beauty pageant she could find when Quinn was little, but as Quinn has gotten older, Judy is finding it harder to get her own way, so instead she just makes Quinn do the modelling by making compromises.<p>

Quinn tucked her iPod into her bag, before inserting her key into her front door and opening it to be greeted by a grinning Judy. She smiled warmly at her mom, before dropping her bag down in the large hallway and walking through to the kitchen, her mom hot on her heels.

Quinn's house was large and glamorous, just as her mom likes it. Tony has a very well paid job as a manager of a banking firm, so luckily for Judy, this means that she can buy the biggest house, with a swimming pool and not have to worry about the old dollars adding up. Quinn didn't really mind about the money issue, she would prefer to have a smaller house, as she found it slightly embarrassing when she would bring friends home and have to walk them into this gigantic 'show home' as she liked to call it. For her, it didn't feel very warm or welcoming as a home should feel. The only place she actually felt comfortable in would be her bedroom, as it was on the third floor and her mom let her decorate it as she wished.

Walking over to the fridge and opening it, she poured herself some orange juice. She could still feel her mom behind her. She knew that Judy wanted to say something, but Quinn was having fun playing the 'oblivious daughter' game.

As Quinn walked over to the breakfast bar, she took a seat and started to slowly sip her juice, staring off into the air, knowing that her mom was just itching to say something now.

Quinn lightly placed the empty glass onto the marble surface and looked towards her mom, who was standing in front of the large cooker.

"Yes Mom?" Quinn deadpanned.

"Oh thank god, okay, I have wanted to tell you this since you came home, but you seemed quiet and I didn't want to start talking if something bad had happened at school," Judy rushed out, "has anything happened at school?"

"Well, no, but we did get a history assign…" Quinn began to speak.

"Oh good, so nothing is wrong! Great, well, basically, the 'Lima Model of the Year' pageant is being held in two weeks time! So, I was thinking, how about we go shopping this Saturday to buy you your dress?" Judy grinned, stars glistening in her eyes.

Quinn slumped a little on the stall. She was hoping that her mom would have forgotten about the pageant, but unfortunately for her, Judy _never _forgets about beauty pageants.

"Yeah, fine," Quinn sighed before moving over to the sink to wash up her glass.

"You seem annoyed hunny?" Judy asked, with little care in her voice, "also, you can just put that in the dishwasher."

"I am mom and no, I prefer to use the sink, it wastes less water," Quinn argued back.

"Oh, you are annoyed?" Judy asked again.

"Yes, I am, mainly because I don't really want to do this pageant," Quinn said quietly.

Silence filled the room. This was the first time that Quinn actually announced that she didn't want to do a pageant. Judy looked shocked and held her hand over her heart.

"Why not sweetie?" Judy asked, while Quinn dried her glass.

"I don't… I don't want to do modelling mom. I have never really enjoyed it and you know it deep inside that I don't like it, you just chose to ignore it," Quinn said before putting away her now clean glass.

"That's not true," Judy said back.

"Which part mom? That I don't want to do modelling, or that you chose to ignore that fact?" Quinn asked her, now facing her.

"Umm, both. I think you should just do this pageant and then we can stop," Judy tried to smile but was shot down by Quinn's glare.

"You said that last time," Quinn sighed and moved to walk towards the hallway.

"Well, you will enjoy it when you get there. You love dresses and getting your makeup done and walking down the cat walk," Judy was drifting off into her own world.

"No mom! That's what you love," Quinn seemed defeated.

Not once has Judy ever asked Quinn what she wanted to wear at a pageant, or what Quinn wanted to do on the weekend.

"That's not true honey. I know what you love, and it's beauty pageants," Judy tried defending herself.

"No mom. Tell me one thing that I am _really_ passionate about, that's not freakin' beauty pageants?" Quinn was getting annoyed.

She loved her mom, but it's at times like these when she remembers why her mom accepted her when she came out, because if she hadn't then she would have lost her beauty pageant talent star.

Judy thought for a minute before shrugging and answering.

"Dresses?" Judy tried.

Quinn had tears in her eyes. Judy didn't know her at all.

Quinn was actually incredibly passionate about photography. When she wasn't at school, she would be in her garden or out on a walk with her camera, but her mom wouldn't know that because she never saw her, or if Quinn would say she was going out, Judy wouldn't ask any details on her whereabouts.

"I love photography mom," Quinn whispered.

"You love what?" Judy asked as she couldn't hear her very well.

"Photography, I love photography. It makes me feel alive, it's like you are capturing life in a shot and then keeping it forever and each picture can mean something to you. I can connect with the pictures; when I am behind that lens, that's the real me, not the girl that struts down the cat walk," Quinn blabbered out and breathed a sigh of relief when it was out in the open.

Judy didn't know what to say.

"Photography? Like, taking pictures?" Judy asked, still a little shocked.

"Yes mom. It's not just taking _pictures, _it's a lot more than that," Quinn answered.

"And you think that's going to get you a career?" Judy questioned.

"It's not all about money mom!" Quinn was getting annoyed now.

"Well, if you want to be able to have a house and food and clothes, then yes it is," her mom fought back.

"I can have that, I just don't want to have that from a career in modelling," Quinn started shuffling on her spot from the kitchen door.

As Judy rubbed her forehead and started to think of what to say next, the front door opened and the sound of Tony placing down his suitcase filled the tense silence that was slowly enveloping them both.

"Where's my two favourite girls?" a voice echoed through the hallway.

As Quinn and Judy tried to act like nothing had happened, Tony walked behind Quinn and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, before walking over to Judy and kissing her too. Like daughter, like dad, he went straight to the fridge and grabbed a glass of orange juice to drink.

Turning around, he took in the situation before him. Placing down his glass on the kitchen counter, he finally broke the once again tense silence.

"What's happened?" he asked, with genuine concern in his voice.

Judy diverted his gaze, as did Quinn.

"Come on, what's happened?" he tried again.

"We were just having a disagreement about the upcoming beauty pageant," Quinn quietly stated.

Tony sighed. Knowing Judy all too well, he could tell what must have happened without needing to know anymore. Judy would have been pressurising Quinn into doing it. Tony knew Quinn didn't want to the beauty pageants, she never had.

"Judy, Quinn doesn't have to do if she doesn't want too," Tony said towards his wife.

"Tony, she does have to do it. She has been given the gift of an amazing body with the beauty to go with it, I'm not letting her throw that away," Judy argued.

Quinn was smiling at her father. She had a lot of respect for that man, he always believed in her; no matter what she wanted to do.

"No Judy, maybe Quinn can have a life in something else. I know she likes using her camera," Tony said back, glancing over to his daughter, who had a 100 watt grin on.

Quinn was grinning at her father. She didn't know that he knew she liked photography, but obviously, he was more interested in her life than she had realised. Her heart warmed before she was snapped out of her daze, from her mother's voice shouting loudly.

"God, what is it with you two right now?" she shouted, "we all know that Quinn isn't really that smart and god, the camera can't get you anywhere! You have the looks and you don't even have to try to look beautiful, it's easy money and an amazing career, why wouldn't you want that?" Judy was now red faced and angry.

In her eyes, she just saw Quinn being spoilt and bothersome, for some reason, Judy couldn't see that her daughter's happiness was with taking the pictures, not having her picture taken. Unless, deep down she knew that Quinn was just wanting to do what she liked, but chose to ignore it, because Quinn was getting a chance to do what she never got too.

"I hate modelling! I am not going to do it mom. I am going to do photography, whether you like it or not!" Quinn shouted, before running up to her bedroom and slamming her door.

As Quinn could hear the raised voices of her parents arguing two floors below her, she knew what she needed to do; she needed her camera. Walking across her large bedroom, she reached her double bed and bent down to get her camera from the box underneath it.

Quinn's bedroom was bigger than most, with her own en-suite. The four walls, which were meant to be light blue, were all covered with pictures, posters, photographs, letters and little things that all had some sort of meaning to Quinn. Without really knowing it, there were many items on Quinn's walls that had some meaning of Rachel in them. There were photos of various Glee Club sessions, when they went to Regionals last year and also the first note that Rachel had passed to Quinn in Math class, which simply read, "Hey, how are you today?".

As Quinn grabbed a coat and walked back across her wooden floor boards, she quickly went past her window, which looked over her garden and she could see that the light was perfect for some quick shots of the trees and birds.

Smiling to herself and ignoring the raised voices, she jogged down the stairs and went into the laundry room, which had the back door in it. Blurring out the rest of the world, she silently slipped out and walked right into the depth of her over growing garden.

The garden of the Fabray's was very long and quite wide. If you weren't careful, if you went too far, then you would get lost amongst the trees and bushes. As Quinn made her way out of the back of the house, she went over the patio area with the inbuilt BBQ set, then went a little further and passed the swimming pool, after that, she jogged over the large grass area and then, Quinn's favourite part, the overgrowth of trees, birds, bushes, plants and little areas that she found time and time again, which she didn't think know was there.

All the fancy stuff meant something to her mom but had no meaning to Quinn. As she walked a little further, she loved the feeling of getting lost in the little forest and out of sight of her parents.

She had never actually gone the full length of her garden, because she took her time to appreciate every little detail in each flower or shrub she would find.

Today, she wanted to see the end. She needed all sorts of pictures, she needed escape and she needed inspiration. Today, she would see what was at the end.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Unbeknown to Quinn Fabray, the Berry house stood exactly opposite her house. Not from across the street, but their gardens were connected at the back.

A couple of years ago, there used to be a gap down the middle of all the gardens, separating them apart, which connected at the two ends of the block. This was used by the trash men, when they used to walk down the path and collect people's trash from the back of their gardens, but when it proved unpopular by the residents because for most down that block, their gardens were too long and it was inconvenient to have to walk the length of your garden to drop your trash off in the little pathway. So, nowadays, many residents down the blocks have blocked their part of the pathway up with old logs or blocks of wood, or some have boarded theirs up all together.

When the Fabray's were told about the cancellation of the trash services, they planned to board their part of the pathway up, but never got round to doing it because of Tony being busy at work and Judy being too busy fussing over Quinn's beauty pageants.

At exactly the same time that Quinn had been arguing with her mom in their kitchen, across the gardens and into the kitchen of the Berry household, Rachel been having an emotional discussion with her dad, Michael.

Rachel needed to see this, she needed to be somewhere quiet and start to write in her notepad. What her dad had just told her made her excited, but nervous at the same time. As she ran down from her bedroom on the second floor and slipped on her coat before jogging into her garden, she thought over what had just happened with her dad.

_Rachel came home and immediately went into the kitchen to grab a glass of apple juice; she was gasping for a drink. _

_Rachel's house wasn't as big as Quinn's, mainly because her fathers, who both work at Lima's local hospital, didn't have much money to spend on luxuries, but also because they didn't want all the fancy stuff. Their home was a little more cluttered than Quinn's, with photo frames on each wall, with pictures of Rachel and her dads when she was younger, little ornaments on ridges and shelves and rugs on the living room floor, but that's how they liked it, that's what felt right to them; it felt like home._

_Michael walked in just after Rachel and went over to her to give her a good squeeze._

"_Hello my precious little princess," he cooed._

_Rachel giggled._

"_I thought we stopped calling me that at about the age of 5!" Rachel laughed a little more._

"_You will never stop being my little princess, sorry," Michael teased before sitting at the little breakfast table to one side and getting out the paper from his bag._

"_That's fine dad," Rachel said._

_Comfortable silence fell upon them, before Michael spoke up._

"_You look nice today by the way, I was going to say it earlier, but I didn't have time before work," Michael smiled._

"_Thanks dad," Rachel smiled shyly._

_She knew her father's would notice the change, but she hoped they wouldn't dig too much into it. Not that there was much to dig, Rachel simply fancied a change, but there was also the story of that this has always been her, she just felt like she had to dress differently to go with the attitude that people wanted; that singing, Broadway star sort of style. This was the real her now, more casual but still smart._

"_So, what's with the change?" Michael questioned lightly._

_Inside, Rachel kicked herself. Questions, these were what she didn't want._

"_I just fancied a new style you know," Rachel shrugged it off._

"_I like it, don't get me wrong, but it's just when you go to auditions or your 'Broadway Starter Camp' in the summer, you're going to need to change back," Michael smiled, before dropping his head again to read the paper._

_Rachel huffed, before putting her hand on her hip._

_Michael furrowed his eyebrows, having heard Rachel's audible huffing and then tilted his head back up, to see his daughter with a strong stance and looking irritated._

"_What did I say?" he asked._

_Rachel thought things through in her head before blurting out without really thinking._

"_What if I don't want to change?" She said, a little louder than usual._

"_Rachel, it's not if you want to change, it's if you have to change. Being a star is half about being the part but also half about looking the part and wearing those clothes isn't going to help you at all," Michael said as if it were the simplest thing in the world._

_Rachel looked down herself. She looked fine; she actually thought she looked pretty 'sexy' as it were. Skinny jeans were smart, a pink over shirt gave it a grown up look, yet with the low cut vest underneath, it gave it that little edge; "what's wrong with that" she thought._

_Sighing she looked back to her dad._

"_I am not sure if Broadway is what I want to do though dad," Rachel said quietly._

_Just as it had done in the Fabray household, silence fell over the two Berry's._

_He slowly placed the paper down onto the table, before removing his glasses, rubbing the bridge on his nose, placing them back on again and speaking barely above a whisper._

"_Is that a joke?" he said inaudibly._

_Rachel just about heard it._

"_No dad, I like singing, but I don't think Broadway is for me. It's too fierce and competitive, I want to do something that I can enjoy at my speed and with the friends and people I love. Broadway is a scary world, stardom is scary and I just don't think I want that path in life," she finished, a small tear falling down her cheek._

_She knew that it would hurt her dad to hear her say that, knowing that that's all he's ever wanted, but at the end of the day, this was her life, not his._

"_But, you have a talent, a talent that's one in a million. You're voice is incredible Rachel, why would you chuck that away?" he sniffled, clearly upset by the confession._

"_I may have a talent and it's not like I won't use my voice, I will just use it when I want to and when it feels right, not on a stage in front of loads of people at certain times on certain nights. I used to think that it could be what I want, but as I have grown older and more independent, I realised that it wasn't what I wanted, it's what I thought I wanted," Rachel said back._

_Michael shook his head a little._

"_Okay, so you truly believe this isn't what you want?" he asked, trying to clear his head a little._

"_I'm pretty sure dad. In Glee today, I had the chance to sing a solo, but all I really fancied doing, was singing with my friends and just having fun, not being the center of attention, or being the one to be applauded by Mr Schue," Rachel was crying a little more now._

_Opening up to her dad about this was becoming harder than she thought it would. It was like crushing his dreams, as he lived his dream through Rachel, she had felt it was her responsibility to make it come true but she really didn't want that for herself._

"_Right, well, okay. If that's what you chose, I will learn to stand by you with whatever you do want to do," he wiped his eye gently._

_Rachel couldn't believe his words. _

"_You're not going to make me pursue a career in singing? It's all you've ever wanted," Rachel said quietly, moving to sit next to her dad._

"_Rachel, I would never make you do anything you didn't want to do. Yes, I'm sad, very sad, but only because you have the chance that me and your daddy never got. We were hoping that it would be passed down in the genes from me, but if it hasn't then we will accept that. We have enjoyed life so far without it, so I'm sure we can survive the rest," Michael said comfortingly._

_Rachel was crying tears of happiness and smiling oh so brightly._

"_I love you dad," she mumbled through her tears._

"_I love you too princess," he laughed, knowing she cringed at the nickname._

_As comfortable silence filled the room, Michael pondered things through in his mind._

"_So, what do you want to do?" he asked, interested as in to what his daughter has been hiding._

_Rachel blushed a little. She had never told anyone about her passion, because it was personal to her, something only she knew about. She knew that she would have to tell someone about her true passion one day if she wanted to pursue a career in it, but she was just enjoying the ride of having a secret._

_She cleared her throat before telling her dad._

"_Writing, I like to write stories, poems, songs, short stories, words, anything with letters on pages," Rachel smiled widely, her eyes glistening with joy, just from saying the words._

_Michael could see the genuine joy shine through Rachel's face and eyes. Just by saying that one sentence, he knew Rachel wasn't going to change. Someone her age to be able to say that one sentence with such passion meant it was for life._

"_I feel bad right now," he chuckled a little._

"_Why? You have nothing to feel bad about," Rachel squeezed him arm reassuringly._

"_Well, I should know my daughter and I thought I knew you so well, how couldn't I see that your dream lay else where?" he smiled weakly._

"_You know me so well dad, more than anyone, but you were focused on a dream and unfortunately that dream involved me, so of course you were going to miss the little details. I don't blame you if that's what you think," Rachel smiled lovingly._

"_God, how did I get such a perfect daughter?" he smiled._

"_Because she was bought up by the perfect dads," she smiled back._

"_Well, if you are that good with words by speaking, I can't wait to read your words on pages," he grinned, before going back to his paper._

"_Talking about writing, can I go write in the garden? It's my favourite place. I'll have my phone on me if you want to ring me to tell me when dinner is," she grinned widely._

"_Your favourite place? You go there often?" he asked a little confused._

_Rachel ducked her head, while smiling._

"_Yes. When you and daddy watch your evening telly, I slip out the back door and go to the garden near the back under the trees with my torch and write anything that comes to mind. The trees make a little canopy, so it's always dry," Rachel giggled._

"_Well I never," he laughed, "you don't go too far back in the garden do you?"_

_Rachel's brows furrowed._

"_No, why?" she asked, a little concerned, "is there monsters?"_

"_No," he laughed at his daughters antics, "do you remember when you were really little, the trash men used to come down the back of the garden to collect the trash?"_

_Rachel nodded, intrigued to where this was going._

"_Well, it is now just about a 4 metre gap until the next garden. Also, the two gardens either side of us have blocked theirs up, so it's just a little rectangular sort of den as it were, which joins to the back of the opposite garden, which if I am not mistaken belongs to Judy and Tony Fabray," Michael smiled._

_Rachel was excited as soon as her dad had mentioned a den, she needed to see this. Rachel stopped smiling when she heard the last part again in her head._

"_Wait, did you just say Fabray?" she asked._

"_Yes," he replied._

"_Do they have a daughter?" she kept questioning._

"_Umm, I'm not too sure. I only met them once, when we were talking to trash men at the back of the garden and they came out of their little gate and we were discussing what we should do with our part of the path, they said they were going to board it up, but I'm not sure if they ever did," Michael shrugged._

_Rachel had slightly zoned out half way through his ramble. She was worried, as if that was Quinn's parents that meant that Quinn only lived just opposite from her. They hadn't spoken since the end of junior year and now she finds out that they were actually living opposite each other._

_Rachel had wanted to speak to Quinn but felt betrayed by her. She liked the friendship they once had and hoped that one day she could have it again, but not until Quinn apologised for bailing on her friend when she should have been there for her._

_Rachel nodded to her dad, before speaking again._

"_I want to go and see this den, I'm taking my notepad and going to write," she said before quickly going up to her bedroom to find the stuff she will need._

_It was only 5pm, so it won't be dark for another hour, so a torch won't be needed._

_As Michael heard his daughter quickly jog out of the back door, he giggled to himself, before mumbling "girls" and going back to reading his paper._

As Rachel came back to reality, she smiled to herself before proceeding to jog down her garden. Reaching her normal spot where she would write under the tree, she carried on past it and right down to the bottom. She had to break a couple of branches and move a small log or two, but then that's when she discovered it; the back wall of the garden. She smiled to herself. If what her dad said was true, then there would be a little gate somewhere, which would lead to the little pathway. She just prayed that Mr and Mrs Fabray hadn't boarded it up. Looking down the length of the wall, she spotted the wooden gate, which was the same height as the wall, but was worn away a little bit.

Grinning to herself for having found the entrance, she cautiously put her hand on the handle and turned it clockwise, until she heard the click.

On the other side of the den, standing behind the Fabray's garden wall, was Quinn. She had wanted to know what was down the end for a long time and finally she would find out. As she was snapping close up shots of the old bricks in the wall and the little worn away handle of a gate, she heard some rustling coming from the other side of the wall. She froze still holding her camera and listened to the sounds.

She heard a couple of crunches of twigs and a small "ow", but nothing more for a couple of minutes. Quinn had presumed there was a garden opposite, seeing as it was a big block of houses, back to back, but she didn't think that anyone, or anything, would be down that far in their garden. She walked over to the gate that she had been taking pictures of and thought about opening it.

Rachel took in the sight around her. Michael was right; the Fabray's hadn't boarded it up, much to Rachel's delight. A tree, which was over hanging from her garden, covered half the den, but then the other half was open freely for the sun light to pour down in it. Each side of the den had been boarded up from the two gardens each side of them; Rachel didn't mind as it made this den more private. She grinned madly to herself and walked a little down into it, closing her gate behind her. She could see the gate which led to the other garden on the opposite end to hers. There were two old logs on each side and some random twigs and leaves which must have fallen off the tree. Accidently standing on a big twig, Rachel jumped a little.

"Ow," she said aloud.

"Damn twig," she sighed.

Sitting down on one of the logs, she opened her notepad and took the pen from her pocket and started to write down the description of the den.

Quinn pressed her ear up against the gate and listened intently for a couple more minutes. No sign of anyone, maybe they went away? Hanging her camera around her neck, she took hold of the handle of the battered gate and started to turn the handle.

Rachel's head immediately shot up to the sound of the stranger's gate handle being turned. She froze and started to panic a little. "What if it wasn't Quinn" she thought, scared of being alone now, but then thought "or worse, what if it was Quinn". Closing her notepad and retreating back to her gate, about to leave, the other gate got pushed open with effort.

Rachel's eyes landed upon one unknowing Quinn Fabray.

"God, that was stiff," Quinn huffed, not knowing that Rachel was at the other end of the den.

Rachel was trying to hide the giggle that nearly escaped. This was the first time that they would have been alone together since they last talked at their lockers at school, but Rachel couldn't help but smile at Quinn's appearance; twigs in her hair and a little cut on her thumb from fighting with the garden gate. She immediately realised their situation and started to feel nervous. How was she meant to start off a conversation, where the two people hadn't spoken in nearly a year?

Quinn gently sucked the cut on her thumb, before turning back around and pushing her gate closed. Spinning back round on her heel, she smiled widely. This was not what she was expecting. Taking in the sight before her, she immediately turned on her camera and started to take pictures of this little den she had found. Why was it here? Did it belong to her family? As she walked a little further down the den, she stumbled across another gate, but this one was slightly open.

Breathing heavily, high on nerves, Rachel was standing with her back to her garden wall, having managed to quickly slip out when Quinn had turned around to close her own gate.

Rachel didn't know what to do. It was too noisy to make her way back down her own garden, but she couldn't exactly go back into the den now and go "surprise!" So instead, she stood there and waited, hoping Quinn wouldn't be too long.

Quinn approached this other gate, realising that she probably shouldn't go through it as she was pretty sure this was someone else's garden, but for some reason, her mind really wanted to go through there, just to see what laid beyond the gate. She went with her gut instinct and put her hand on the gate and started to pull it open.

Rachel's eyes instantly landed on the pale hand that was pulling the gate open slowly. Quick thoughts rushed through her mind, but not one told her what to do with this situation. Quickly sitting down onto the floor and opening her notepad and starting to pretend to write something, she thought that maybe it would look less suspicious; she could just say that this was her favourite spot to write.

Quinn stepped one foot into this unknown territory, before scanning the trees, bushes, flowers, logs and Rachel. "Rachel?" she thought, completely confused.

"Holy shit! Rachel?" Quinn gasped, shocked to see someone sitting down there, but also shocked to see one Rachel Berry.

"Well, that's one way to greet someone I suppose," Rachel said back.

"S… sorry, I just wasn't expecting to see you here," Quinn tried saying, but was a little shaky from the fact that this wasn't how she imagined the first talk going.

"Well, this is my garden," Rachel giggled lightly.

Quinn looked around and as she bent her knees a little and squinted through the trees, she could see the faint outline of a house; Rachel's house.

"That would be correct," Quinn said, dumbfounded.

"You didn't know we lived opposite each other, did you?" Rachel asked, while closing her notepad and pushing off the floor.

"No, did you?" Quinn replied.

"I only just found out by my dad telling me," Rachel said back, looking down at her own feet.

"Cool," Quinn said quietly.

Awkward silence fell upon them, before Quinn coughed and started to talk.

"Look, I have wanted to talk to you for ages, but I never knew when would be the right time, I want to apologise for everything I did back… then," Quinn rambled out.

Rachel looked up at Quinn, seeing sincere regret in her eyes.

"Why didn't you just speak to me back then?" Rachel asked.

"I couldn't, I didn't know how to. I was a coward Rachel, Santana was pressurising me and I wasn't strong enough to stand up for what I knew was right," Quinn sighed, fiddling with her camera strap.

"And what did you believe was right Quinn?" Rachel asked, needing to know that Quinn was truly sorry.

"That you shouldn't have been treated the way you were, Santana was a bully and I should have been there for you," Quinn felt tears wanting to escape, but she sniffed them back.

Rachel nodded in agreement, before moving a little closer to Quinn.

"Yeah, well, to be honest, I avoided you a little so it would have been harder for you to talk to me, so I apologise for that," Rachel said honestly.

"You don't have to apologise Rachel, but why did you avoid me?" Quinn asked innocently.

"I felt betrayed by you. I didn't want to become close to you again, if I was just going to be hurt all over again," Rachel said sadly.

Quinn warmed at Rachel's words, well some of the words. For some reason, to which Quinn didn't know, but Rachel's friendship meant the most to her; it felt the most sincere, the most true and the most wanted. So, when Rachel said the word 'close', Quinn knew it was time that she needed that friendship back.

"I am so sorry that I made you feel that way, I know I will never be able to make it up to you, but I will try my damn hardest to try and get close to making it all up," Quinn said confidently.

Rachel formed a small smile on her face.

Rachel could read emotions very well and she knew that Quinn meant her word.

"Okay," Rachel said,

"Okay?" Quinn was a little taken aback.

"Okay," Rachel started to smile.

"Just okay? We can be friends again with just an okay?" Quinn laughed light-heartedly.

She was feeling a mix of emotions; happiness, a little confusion and excitement that she and Rachel were going to be friends again.

"Yep, but you have to promise me something?" Rachel asked in all seriousness.

"You say it," Quinn said.

"Repeat after me," Rachel stated, "I promise,"

"I promise," Quinn smiled.

"To always stick up for you," Rachel grinned.

"To always stick up for you," Quinn repeated.

"Against any bitch, bully or bastard," Rachel giggled.

Quinn laughed out loud, before repeating the statement.

"Against any bitch, bully or bastard," Quinn was still laughing.

"Especially one with the name Santana," Rachel said with a little shudder.

"Especially one with the name Santana," Quinn then saluted Rachel, signifying her promise.

"Oh and also that I will bake you cupcakes every month," Rachel smiled cheekily.

"And I will also bake you cupcakes each month…. wait, what?" Quinn was smiling until she realised what Rachel had made her say.

"Oh thanks Quinn! That's really nice of you," Rachel giggled out loud.

"Damn you Rachel that was clever, but do I really have to bake you cupcakes every month?" Quinn whined; she wasn't the best cook.

"You said it, wait, you promised it," Rachel winked.

Both had a little laugh together, before they just smiled. This is what they had missed, they just got each other, they had the same humour, same wit and similar wants.

Rachel looked over Quinn's shoulder and nodded her head towards the gate.

"Seen you found the den then?" she smiled.

Quinn looked over her shoulder before smiling widely.

"Hell yeah, it's awesome," she grinned.

"I found it first," Rachel said seriously.

"You're going to shotgun it?" Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Rachel stood with one hand on her hip, the other holding her notepad.

"Can't we share it?" Quinn laughed.

Rachel subtly blushed, she didn't know why though, it's just she has never really had a close friend she could share things with.

"Maybe," Rachel teased.

"It can be our secret den? No one else knows, apart from our parents, but they're not going to use it," Quinn grinned.

"Secret den sounds babyish, what about secret garden? That sounds cooler," Rachel smiled.

"Fine, it can be our secret garden," Quinn smiled.

Rachel let out a little "yay!" before looking at her phone's clock and realising that it would nearly be dinner time, considering it was 6:05pm.

"Anyway, I better go, it's nearly dinner time," Rachel smiled at Quinn.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Quinn stuttered a little.

"So, I'll see you at school tomorrow?" Rachel asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Quinn sighed.

Rachel slumped a little.

"You don't want to see me?" She asked a little sad.

"No, no! I meant unfortunately we have school, no, of course I want to see you. You are my friend after all," Quinn said, happy to have the friendship back.

"Oh sorry, misunderstanding," Rachel said embarrassingly.

"So, see you tomorrow," Quinn attempted to end the conversation.

"Yeah, sure," Rachel smiled once again.

Quinn shuffled on her feet, not knowing whether giving Rachel a hug goodbye was too soon in their friendship, seeing as she would have to earn Rachel's full trust again. They used to hug all the time, friends do, but it didn't feel right just yet.

Rachel was feeling the same, somewhere deep inside, she wanted to hug Quinn, almost just to start everything over, but Quinn was looking nervous, and looked like she was thinking deeply about something, so she decided against it.

Moving away under a couple of trees, Rachel said a little "bye" before jogging off into her garden and back down to her house.

Quinn smiled widely to herself, before going back into their secret garden and then back into her own garden and making the journey to her house.

Quinn didn't even bother to speak to her mom; she went into her dad's study and gave him a quick kiss goodnight, before making her way up to her bedroom. She didn't feel hungry for dinner tonight, that could wait. She was just elated to be friends with Rachel again.

Tomorrow was a new day and tomorrow would be the day that Quinn would be friends with Rachel at school again and she couldn't be happier.

Rachel was telling her father's all about the secret garden that she had found and how she had met Quinn there and that they were going to try and rebuild their friendship, as they had missed each other. Michael and Jason had listened intently and raised their eyebrows when Rachel was describing her conversation with Quinn; their daughter seemed very fond of this young blonde's friendship.

As Rachel tucked herself into bed that night, she was excited to see what tomorrow would bring and even more excited to go back to their secret garden and finish her writing.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	3. Chapter 3

**N/A **What do you think so far? It's completely different to the previous story I wrote, so this is all new to me :) Hope you are liking it! I am writing this third chapter now and I haven't got any reviews yet, so maybe none of you actually like it; if so, that could be why you weren't reviewing and if it was then that would be AWKWARD, as I'm sitting here writing more :L haha, anyway, enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>Waking up, just that little bit more early, Quinn got out of bed and had a quick hot and steaming shower before getting dressed into one of the dresses her mom had bought her a couple of days ago. It was beige and lacy, falling gracefully down her legs, stopping just before the knees. It wasn't really September wear, but they were having a warm couple of months in Ohio, so she thought it seemed appropriate. As she lent into her wardrobe to put the coat hanger back in, she saw the boxes hidden down in the bottom, of which contained her old jeans and casual tops and a few other special items that Quinn couldn't face throwing away; even though if her mom ever asked, Quinn had given them away to charity. Judy had made Quinn 'get rid' of her jeans, hoodies and t-shirts, when she started becoming a professional in modelling, which was around a year ago in junior year. Quinn had never had the heart to get rid of them, knowing they were who she truly was, so instead she tucked them secretly away in the back of her wardrobe, out of sight.<p>

As she walked over to her window, to fly away with the fairies for a little bit before school, she thought to herself, "I will wear them again someday."

As her hazel eyes were scanning the expanse of her garden, she realised she could just make out the little gate to their secret garden, but only just. Smiling stupidly to herself, she let her eyes trail further into the garden, of which she now knows belongs to the Berry's. There were plenty of trees in the way, so made it difficult for Quinn to see the ground of their garden properly. Taking in all the detail she could find, she came across their actual house. Beautiful red bricks lined the walls and their house was only 2 floors tall, compared to her three story house. Squinting, she could see some curtains in one of the window; dark, pink curtains fell perfectly behind the white, clean window frames. As she was lost in her thoughts, a girl suddenly opened said curtains and did a little stretch before walking back into the room, too far to be seen. Realisation dawned on Quinn and she stepped away from the window.

"How did I miss that Rachel lived there?" Quinn asked herself as she packed her schoolbag.

"Okay, maybe because I don't usually creepily peer into people's windows," she chuckled to herself nervously.

"You're talking to yourself," she said, just to stop herself from becoming too freaked out.

Spinning on her heel, she walked lightly over to her dresser to brush through her long hair once more before school.

Something in her really wanted her to look once more, almost just to make sure that it was Rachel she saw. Even the sight of the brunette made Quinn happy. Without her realising, her feet had taken her back over to the window, still brushing through her hair. She leaned in closer and could see the figure she saw before, looking out of their window down at their garden. Squinting her eyes just that bit harder, she could see Rachel's shining brown hair and petite body standing at her own window. Quinn smiled, before walking away. "I wonder what Rachel was looking at?" she mused to herself.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The first half of the day went by smoothly. Quinn and Rachel had had Math first thing in the morning, but unfortunately got separated, so didn't have the chance to talk to each other, as they planned. They had exchanged a couple of friendly smiles and a wave at their lockers, but nothing more; causing both girls to feel a little down.

Glee came around soon enough though, much to everyone's delight. As the rest of the Glee kids were making their way to the choir room, Santana and Brittany were there and had already saved Quinn a seat. As said blonde walked into the choir room, she walked past Santana and Brittany and sat in the back row, waiting for the person she really wanted to see.

Santana turned around and faced Quinn.

"Hey, what's with the 'not sitting near us' thing?" she asked, a raised eyebrow present.

"I just thought I would space out a little, after all, we're all friends here," Quinn smiled sweetly, before checking her phone.

Santana pursed her lips a little before swivelling around in her chair and remoulding her hands with Brittany's.

Whispering to Brittany, Santana spoke up.

"Something is up with her," she simply said.

"What do you mean?" Brittany asked innocently.

"I don't know, I don't know," Santana said more to herself than Brittany.

Nearly everyone was seated ready for the class to begin, apart from Rachel. Quinn looked a little nervous; was Rachel alright? She hadn't been bullied had she?

As Quinn started to fidget, her nerves were calmed as a familiar face walked in, holding her trusty notepad and pen, before walking swiftly over to sit next to Quinn in the back row.

A couple of members turned their heads, to make sure their eyes weren't deceiving them; Rachel Berry had just sat next to Quinn Fabray.

The whole club had got pretty used to the fact that Rachel was annoyed with Quinn and Quinn had been a coward to Rachel, so they were not expecting this to happen. Shrugging it off, they all turned back to Mr Schue, who had entered the room with a pile of paper and pens, and of course, wearing one of his blue and white argyle vests.

"Right kids, today I'm handing the lesson over to you. I'm going to hand out these pieces of paper and I want you to write down a song that you really want to sing, either on your own, as a duet or as a group, just to get us back into the swing of things, before Sectionals comes round again," Mr Schue smiled.

There were a couple of cheers from some members, pleased to have a choice and others were less enthusiastic, but happy none the less.

As everyone was handed a piece of paper and a pen, Rachel grabbed hers, quickly scribbled something down and handed back to Mr Schue with a smile, before going back to writing peacefully in her notepad. Everyone else had their heads down and thinking caps on, making sure they picked the right song for them. Mr Schue eyed Rachel a little suspiciously before putting the piece of paper away in a file, ready to be opened next lesson.

"Wow, you were pretty sure of your answer," Quinn laughed.

Rachel looked up at her, subtly covering her page with her arm, before replying.

"Not really, I didn't put an answer," Rachel giggled.

"Why not? This is your chance to do a big Barbra number on your own," Quinn teased lightly.

Quinn saw the visible slump in Rachel's body and she realised immediately she must have said the wrong thing, but was confused as to why.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say anything wrong…" Quinn started to apologise, she didn't want their friendship to start off and be ended so soon by her silly words.

"No, don't worry, it's not your fault," Rachel smiled reassuringly.

Quinn returned the smile, before going back to her piece of paper and thinking of what song she would want to sing, but she couldn't get the nagging thought out of her mind, as to why Rachel had acted how she did when Quinn had mentioned her once favourite actress.

Casually turning slightly in her seat, with her back now faced towards her other Glee friends, she faced Rachel before speaking.

"What's wrong with Barbra now? I thought you used to love her," Quinn asked quietly.

"I still do, just maybe not singing it," Rachel shrugged.

Quinn was still slightly confused.

"You don't want to sing anymore?" Quinn was a little shocked, by tried to hide it, not wanting to make Rachel not open up.

"No, I love singing. I just don't want to be the center of attention all the time. I have other passions in my life that I want to spend more time on, singing Barbra songs isn't one of them," she giggled to the blonde.

Quinn returned the laughter, thinking things through in her head.

"I thought you were different yesterday, as you didn't want to sing up front," Quinn nodded to herself, inwardly congratulating herself for noticing something.

"Well, thank you, as you were the only one to notice," Rachel sighed a little.

"Make them notice," Quinn winked.

"How?" Rachel asked.

"Just say how you feel, that you don't want to sing solos anymore and believe it's better as a group or something?" Quinn smiled, happy to be helping her friend.

"I just don't want to hurt others or make a change to quick, making people ask questions," Rachel blushed under the watchful eye of Quinn.

"Well, okay, I will help you. I promise to help you introduce your new self slowly to the rest of the group," Quinn grinned.

"You are promising a lot lately Fabray, sure you can manage all that?" Rachel laughed.

Quinn uncontrollably blushed a little when Rachel had called her by her last name.

"I sure can," she laughed back.

"Okay, starting when?" Rachel said seriously.

"Right now. Go and get the piece of paper you handed in to Mr Schue," Quinn nodded over to the piano.

"Why?" Rachel's eyebrows furrowed.

"Just trust me… you want to do this slowly, so I am helping you with the first step," Quinn smiled confidently.

"Fine," Rachel said slowly.

Getting up off her seat and placing her notepad underneath her chair, she jogged over to Mr Schue and had a little chat with him. Quinn leaned back in her seat a little, relaxing, before her eyes landed on the notepad Rachel had been writing in. It was closed and placed under her seat, the front cover showing its title. In cut out bits of paper and magazine articles, it read "You, Me and Beautiful Words." Immediately, Quinn was intrigued and hooked on the words that lay before her. Slightly licking her lips, she was ready to rip it open and read what treasures Rachel had hidden, but her morals held her back. She saw Rachel jogging back over, so she sat properly in her chair and pulled her eyes away from said notepad.

"Got it," Rachel smiled.

"Good, okay, open it up and write down a song you would like to sing," Quinn ordered with a smile.

"But I don't want to sing a solo," Rachel whined, not sure if Quinn got what she had tried to tell her.

"Not on your own… with me," Quinn stated, "that way, you are not singing a solo, thus showing people that you are taking a back seat role, but you will still be singing something, showing them that you are still happy to be singing in Glee Club," Quinn grinned, believing that she had just conjured up the best plan ever.

Rachel's eyes widened and started to glisten.

"Oh, that's clever!" She grinned, mirroring Quinn's face.

"So, what song do you want to sing?" Quinn asked, tapping the piece of paper.

"I don't know, what do you think?" she asked Quinn.

"It's not my song, I am just singing with you, it's your choice," Quinn smiled.

Rachel opened up the piece of paper and rubbed out the previous answer she put, which just read "I don't mind" and wrote the name of a song down, before quickly running over to Mr Schue and replacing the piece of paper in the file, before hopping back onto her seat next to Quinn.

"Wow that was quick, what song did you pick?" Quinn asked, interested.

"'Without You', we can just sing each verse separately and then the chorus together," Rachel smiled, trying to hide the blush that wanted to escape, but she didn't consciously know why.

"Good choice," Quinn smiled.

As Quinn and Rachel were watching their friends laughing and writing their song choices down and chatting with each other, Quinn turned to Rachel once again.

"Rachel?" She asked.

"Yes," Rachel smiled, thinking it was sweet that Quinn had to ask her name to ask a question.

"What do you write in your notepad?" she asked shyly, not wanting to intrude, but desperately wanting to know the answer.

Rachel ducked her head and went quiet, before meeting Quinn's eyes again.

"I'll tell you soon," Rachel smiled.

"Soon?" Quinn asked a little too eagerly.

"Tonight, meet me in our secret garden at 7pm, I can tell you then, as it is private to me and I don't feel the choir room is the place to express it," Rachel said quietly.

Quinn felt really pleased that Rachel felt that she could at least try and tell Quinn her private things. They had been friends before, so it wasn't like they hadn't told each other secrets, but the way Rachel was acting was showing Quinn that this was more than just a secret.

Rachel wouldn't usually trust someone this easily, but she knew Quinn now, she knew that Quinn was ready to fight for their friendship if anything got in the way. She wanted to share her passion with Quinn and be able to have a friend to talk to about it with.

Sitting back in their chairs and letting the lesson pass by, all they could both think about now, was going to their secret garden and talking with each other.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

After school, a couple of the members of Glee Club were all chilling together in one of the empty classrooms, having just had a lesson in there. Rachel, Finn, Puck, Sam, Mercedes, Santana and Quinn were all chatting about their application letters which they were in the middle of writing, depending on where wanted to attend to, that is if they wanted to go to further education.

"Hell no, I'm just going to have a year of doing nothing. Might get a small job or something in the music industry to get me some money and then I will start looking for a fulltime job after that," Mercedes spoke up.

"Sounds cool Mercedes," Sam nodded, while looking up and down her.

Mercedes blushed under Sam's invading eyes, as the others just turned their attention elsewhere, feeling like they were getting into something they didn't want to.

"Get a room," Santana coughed under her breath, which resulted in Quinn, who was sitting closest to her, to let out a little giggle.

Rachel was watching Quinn and felt herself giggling as well, when she saw Quinn's face light up when she laughed.

"What you laughing at midget?" Santana spat at the smaller brunette, not meaning it in a harsh tone, but it came out a little louder than she had anticipated.

She slightly regretted it afterwards, as the whole room gave her evils and some just ignored her. She had promised Brittany not to call Rachel nicknames anymore, but for some reason, she just felt like she needed to. She felt that Rachel was her competition, she was equally as attractive, she was a brunette, she had an amazing voice on her and she could own the stage when she wanted to. Santana would never admit it to anyone, but the only reason she could think of as to why she acted this way to Rachel, was because she was jealous and also slightly threatened by her.

The room went quiet for a moment, as Rachel averted her gaze away from Santana and went back to packing her bag, ready to go home.

"Don't speak to her like that Santana," Quinn said into the quietness.

Santana's raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, before speaking back.

"I'm sorry?" She asked.

"You heard," Quinn left it at that, before starting to pack her bag as well.

Puck gave out a little cheer, before speaking up to be heard.

"Ooh, lesbian cat fight, awesome!" He said, before high fiving Finn, who had a matching smirk on his face.

"Ew, just no," Quinn said back, before redirecting her gaze to Santana, "you promised Brittany that you would leave Rachel alone and you were good over the summer, so just stop it, she doesn't deserve it," Quinn stated.

As Rachel turned around to put her bag on, she let out the big smile that wanted to escape, but she didn't want to be seen. Biting her bottom lip and letting her eyes trail up at the ceiling, while she grinned, she let the feeling of being protected by her friend wash over her. Quinn was keeping her promise.

"Since when have you two become tight buddies?" Santana jibed.

"We've always been friends_, _I just was stupid for a while, but now I'm ready to have that friendship back, because I realised how much it meant to me," Quinn said quite loudly, before slinging her bag on her back and walking towards the door.

Santana felt a little jealous when one of her best friends admitted that they were becoming good friends with her so called competition. This was another reason Santana could add to the list of 'reasons to tease Rachel'; she is stealing her best friend.

"Whatever," Santana just waved her hand at Quinn before packing her own bag.

"She has a point," Finn spoke up.

"Shut it custard nipples," Santana spat, before storming past Quinn in the doorway and making her way home.

"Custard nipples?" Puck laughed.

"I don't know what she's talking about," Finn blushed embarrassingly before covering his chest area by crossing his arms.

Everyone knew that Finn had lost his virginity to Santana in Sophomore year, when they had had a drunken one night stand after a jocks and cheerleaders party. So, Santana now had a hundred insults she keeps hidden away just to use on Finn, when he annoyed her, which was most of the time.

"Can I poke one?" Puck laughed.

"Dude! No. Plus, you can't talk, you've gone bald over the summer," Finn chuckled boyishly to himself.

As the two boys were having a little banter session, Rachel silently got up and moved over to the door, where Quinn was waiting.

"Can I walk home with you?" Quinn asked, as they both stood closely in the doorway.

"I would like that," Rachel grinned.

As they were walking out of the room, they heard the last of Puck and Finn's conversation, before bursting into uncontrollable laughter walking down the hallway.

"You just look old being bald," Finn laughed.

"No custard nipples, my bald head is just a solar panel for this sex machine!" Puck exclaimed as he thrusted his groin into the air.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Walking slowly on their way home, they were discussing what they had done in Glee after everyone had picked their songs and how funny it was when Brittany had fallen over and pulled over Finn, who pulled Puck, who coincidently pulled Sam with them, all falling into a bundle on the floor.

"That was hilarious," Rachel giggled.

"Indeed it was," Quinn smiled.

Coming up to a junction, Quinn spotted someone's front yard that had a cat sleeping on the wall. The first thought that went through Quinn's mind was "that would make an amazing shot, in monochrome mode and on macro, up close to the right side of it's whiskers", the first thought that went through Rachel's mind was "aww, cute kitty!".

Quinn sighed under her breath, before speaking to herself.

"Damn, I wish I had my camera right now," She stated, but then realised she had said it out loud.

"Camera? What for?" Rachel asked with curiosity twinkling in her brown orbs.

"Umm, nothing," Quinn said, diverting her gaze and carrying on walking, hoping Rachel would just follow and not ask any more questions.

"It's not nothing, come on, tell me," Rachel dug a little further.

Quinn went through things in her mind, letting her little cogs work through her meandering thoughts. Rachel had opened up to Quinn about Glee Club and how she was introducing the new her, but there was still stuff to find out, so it was only fair she opened up to Rachel, her friend.

"It's just something little," Quinn said.

"I have told you little things," Rachel giggled, before slightly nudging Quinn, while continuing to walk.

"That was your choice," Quinn teased, nudging Rachel back by bumping her arm.

"Hey, you can't use that as an excuse!" Rachel squealed, before lightly slapping Quinn's upper arm.

"Just did!" Quinn laughed before running off ahead of them, chuckling into the air.

Rachel gasped, before sprinting to catch up with the ex-cheerleader. As she was running, letting the wind blow through her locks, she thought to herself, "I've really got to do some running, I can't catch up!"

Finally, Quinn stopped at the end of their block, knowing Rachel had to walk round to her house. Catching her breath, she saw Rachel jogging slowly up the road to catch up. She giggled to herself, when Rachel had to stop before she reached Quinn, bend down to her knees and catch her breath, before starting again.

"That was fun and everything, but next time, run a little slower," Rachel said breathlessly.

"Sorry," Quinn chuckled.

"You should be," Rachel said sternly, before laughing along with Quinn.

As they both simultaneously looked at their watches, they realised they needed to get home and have dinner before meeting in their secret garden.

"I better go," Rachel said.

"Yeah, we're still meeting tonight right?" Quinn said.

"7pm on the dot," Rachel nodded.

"Great," Quinn smiled.

"I'll tell you what I write in my notepad and you can tell me what you do with your camera," Rachel said confidently.

Quinn giggled at Rachel's sentence. She could think of a hundred innuendos from that.

As Rachel realised her mistake, her blushing would have been visible from GoogleEarth.

"I m… meant, that you can tell me what pictures you take with your camera," Rachel stuttered, clearly embarrassed by the innuendo her mind was thinking of.

"That's not much better, but it will do," Quinn teased with a little wink from her eye.

Rachel just nodded, before saying a quick bye and jogging off around the block to her house. Quinn grinned to herself at the cuteness of Rachel, before walking down the block and entering her house.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Sweetheart, do you want to slow down a little bit?" Jason laughed, as Rachel stuffed a huge forkful of couscous into her mouth and chewed quickly.

"I canlsk, I gaoit to mett Quuoin at sevesn ocolck," Rachel mumbled with a mouthful of food.

"Don't speak with your mouth full Rachel," Michael said, shaking his head.

Swallowing audibly, Rachel spoke up again.

"Sorry, I can't slow down, I have to meet Quinn at seven o'clock and it's already ten to seven," Rachel explained, before stuffing another mouthful of food in.

"Wow, must be urgent," Michael chuckled, to which Jason just swatted his arm.

"Mike, stop it," Jason scolded.

Michael took a mouthful, while grinning.

"What? Just having a joke," he spluttered out.

"Look who's talking with their mouth full now?" Jason winked.

Michael swallowed, before ducking his head.

"Damn it," he sighed.

Rachel washed her dinner down with a glass of water, before hastily wiping her mouth with the napkin and excusing herself. Running into the hallway, she grabbed her coat and school bag and ran into their garden, disappearing out of view under the trees.

"Don't you think their friendship is cute?" Jason cooed.

"Friendship? Yeah, it's cute," Michael nodded.

Jason eyed his husband, but said no more.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Pushing her gate open to reveal their secret garden, she was met with a smiling Quinn with her camera dangling around her slender neck. Closing her gate behind her, Rachel looked over to where Quinn was standing. Draped over each log was a blanket, one was dark, pink and the other one was blue, and across the floor laid an old, black rug.

"I see you've moved in then?" Rachel giggled.

"Just making it a little more comfortable," Quinn smiled sheepishly.

"I love it, plus, that pink colour is exactly like my room," Rachel grinned.

"I know," Quinn replied, before she could stop herself.

Rachel didn't quite hear her, so she moved closer to sit on the pink blanket and Quinn stepped back to sit on the blue one.

"Sorry?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing," Quinn mumbled.

As Rachel sorted through her school bag to find the notepad that Quinn was eagerly awaiting to see, Quinn switched on her camera and started to aim it at Rachel.

Rachel turned back up and was immediately shot in the eye with a big flash.

"Hey!" Rachel shouted, blinking rapidly.

"Got you!" Quinn laughed, before saving the picture.

"Oh man, now I've got those stupid dots in my eyes," Rachel said still blinking stupidly.

Quinn burst into laughter at the site.

After making the annoying dots disappear, Rachel laid the notepad down on the blanket beside her and then addressed Quinn.

"So, that's what you do with the camera," Rachel chuckled, knowing too well that that wasn't what Quinn did with her camera, but she found it funny to say.

"Ha ha, funny. No, I am not some stalker person, who just randomly takes pictures of people," Quinn said back, with a raised eyebrow and a little 'humph'.

"Sure you're not," Rachel said slowly, while laughing to herself.

Quinn looked back down at her camera and started to flick through some photos she had taken a couple of days ago, getting lost within her own world of butterflies, plants, random pictures and the one of Rachel, looking stunned but cute, with her notepad in hand.

Rachel coughed lightly to get Quinn's attention; they had come here to share, not to ignore each other.

"I am going to show you one page, that's all," Rachel said into the air, as Quinn's attention finally fell on her.

"One page? Man," Quinn sulked a little, jokingly.

"One page, or no pages, your choice," Rachel shrugged, knowing Quinn would chose one over none.

"One page, one page!" Quinn smiled sweetly.

This was exciting for both of them, but more nerve-racking for one. Quinn was just elated to read what Rachel writes down and Rachel was happy to be sharing her passion with someone, who seemed to be able to relate so easily.

Gradually pulling her notepad onto her lap, she opened the front cover. Quinn peered over and the first page just displayed, in Rachel's perfectly scripted handwriting, "If you are reading this and you are not Rachel Michele Berry, then stop reading… please". Rachel then took a quick but deep breath and turned the next page, revealing a jumble of words and sentences, with hearts and little sketches around them. Before Rachel passed it to Quinn, she felt as though she needed to explain.

"This is the page I am going to show you today, but it's not exactly going to make sense. This was my first page, when I just wrote down all the words that meant something to me and anything that I had on my mind, this isn't a story or anything. Think of it as a map of my mind at that moment in time," Rachel said quickly, but surely.

Quinn crumbled inside. This meant so much to Rachel and it was starting to mean a lot to Quinn too, so much so that she couldn't understand why it meant what it did. The way Rachel talked about it was so insightful and more genuine than anything she had ever said about Broadway or singing.

"I don't mind, I am just ready to read and take in what you have written," Quinn smiled beautifully.

Rachel couldn't help but admire the image. The light of the moon falling through the tree that was covering half their garden, shone flattering rays over Quinn's flawless skin, as she smiled at Rachel through friendly eyes.

Looking back down at the notepad, she lent forward and gently placed it in Quinn's lap, turning it to face the blonde.

Rachel just sat back and observed, not saying a word; letting the words on the page do the talking.

Quinn peered up and Rachel just nodded in approval, already knowing Quinn was asking for her permission one last time.

Letting her hands fall to each side of the notepad, her supple fingers ran down the edges, feeling the smoothness of the thin paper and taking in the warmth that the notepad was invisibly radiating.

At first Quinn wasn't taking in the words. The little hearts took her eye first. Just a quick scribble with a pencil and Rachel managed to make these little hearts look like so much more, that they needed to be seen, wanting to be loved back. Quinn moved on, running her finger tips over the first words on the page. It was a simple sentence that read, "Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies; I have yet to find my counterpart body". Quinn re-read the sentence a couple more times in her head, making sense of it and figuring out what Rachel must have been feeling at that time, but it was easy to see if you look beyond the words and into their meaning. Rachel's work or art, whichever you may call it, wasn't dated so Quinn couldn't tell how long ago this was written, but it didn't matter. That was the only full sentence on that page; the other words were dotted around like coffee beans spilt on a table top. "Imagination", "Love", "Friendship", "Dreams", "Feelings", "Touch", "Smell", "Think", "Laughter" and "Space", were a few among the many drifting words on this cluttered page. Quinn could understand and relate to most, apart from a couple that really stood out, such as "touch" and "smell", she didn't understand why they had been placed on the page, but they were obviously placed there with a feeling in mind because they were among all the others, lost in this page of thoughts.

Letting the words work through her mind, she sensed Rachel getting fidgety and that's when Quinn realised she hadn't said a word since starting to read it, so Rachel was probably anticipating what Quinn was going to comment about her art.

"That's truly wonderful Rachel," Quinn smiled, putting the brunette at much needed ease.

"Wonderful? You understand all of it?" Rachel asked, sitting a little too forward on her log.

"Not all of it, but if I did understand all of it, what would be the joy in that? I wouldn't be able to learn new things about you, or you wouldn't have individual thoughts and feelings," Quinn explained.

Rachel just let her mouth drop open a little bit.

"Where have you been all my life?" Rachel asked staring at her.

Quinn was taken aback slightly. Not understanding why her mouth wouldn't speak, she was trying to conjure up the words to say.

"I meant as in, you get me, you just read a page of nonsense yet understood it like a textbook," Rachel said, grinning widely.

"Well, it wasn't as easy as that, but yeah, I get you, just like you get me," Quinn smiled back; glad to have her voice back.

Rachel leaned forward and removed the notepad from Quinn's lap, lightly brushing over Quinn's knee in the process. Quinn inwardly shivered, but blamed it on the sudden drop in temperature, seeing as it was coming up to eight o'clock on a September evening.

Quinn could see Rachel struggling to see to get her notepad back into her bag, so Quinn magically pulled a small torch from her coat pocket and switched it on and aimed the stream of light to spotlight Rachel's bag.

As said bag was lighten up, both girls burst into laughter. Rachel had been trying to shove her notepad into the bottom of her bag because she couldn't see. Wiping her eyes, she opened the right end of her bag and slid the notepad in, before sitting back up again and putting her hand up to shield her eyes from Quinn's torch.

"Thank you for your assistance Quinn," Rachel said politely.

"My pleasure," Quinn returned the gesture, before switching her torch off and putting it back into her coat pocket.

"I know it's late now, but I believe we have enough time to see a couple of pictures, don't you?" Rachel said confidently.

Quinn laughed nervously, secretly hoping that Rachel had forgotten, because she didn't know how Rachel would react to her pictures, as if you didn't have the certain eye to understanding them, then they wouldn't meaning anything to you.

"Okay, but you will have to come and sit next to me to see the little screen," Quinn said, moving a little to the right, so Rachel could perch next to her.

Getting up off her own log and moving to sit a little too close to Quinn, she leaned in to be able to see the petite screen on the back of Quinn's big camera.

"Okay, just like you showed me one page, I will show you one picture," Quinn said smugly.

"Damn you Fabray," Rachel replied.

Quinn giggled, before clicking the next button on her screen.

The photo that filled the screen was in miraculous colour and was obviously taken during the day in a garden. The camera was lying on the grass, as the strands of luscious green grass formed the base of the photo, not in focus. Laying in the grass not too far away, in complete focus, was a younger Quinn, lying facing the camera with her legs up in the air behind her, her head leaning on her hands in front of her, smiling brightly towards the camera.

Rachel immediately grinned noticing the pure happiness spread across the smaller blonde's face.

"That's adorable and you were really pretty back then," Rachel smiled.

Quinn feigned shock.

"No, I meant you're still pretty now, hell, you're beautiful, but you were really pre… pretty back… then and you still are, just… well… yeah," Rachel tried to recover but failed miserably.

"I'm joking Rachel, but thank you for the compliment," Quinn giggled, blushing at the statement.

Rachel took another look at the photo.

"When was this? What does it mean to you?" Rachel asked, completely interested.

Darkness was now surrounding them, as the moon shone dimly in the background.

"My tenth birthday when I got this camera and the first day I knew what my true passion was," Quinn smiled, remembering the memory.

"Wow, you've had it quite a long time," Rachel chatted.

"Yeah, it's been a soldier, surviving the roughest of times. Let's just say, when I was little, I didn't exactly know how to treat an expensive and advanced piece of technology," Quinn laughed.

As Rachel laughed along, she let out a big shiver and realised that it was now eight forty. Letting her teeth chatter away, Quinn noticed and started to remove her coat.

"What are you doing Quinn?" Rachel asked suspiciously.

"You're cold," she simply stated.

"And you will freeze, now put that coat back on," Rachel demanded.

Inside, Rachel was feeling incredibly special, no one had ever given her their coat before She did imagine it to be her first boyfriend or something, but her first special friend would do nicely.

"But you're teeth are actually moving and I can see your goose bumps from here," Quinn giggled, poking a goose bump on Rachel's cheek.

"Well, we are going to go in a minute. I will survive," Rachel smiled sheepishly.

"Fine, I was just completely rejected!" Quinn laughed.

Rachel giggled along, before it really was time to go home, as she wouldn't tell Quinn, but she really didn't think she could feel her toes anymore.

"I'm going to head off now," Rachel smiled into the darkness, barely making out Quinn's features.

"Cool, so will I," Quinn grinned.

"Well, yeah, I was expecting you to sit out here on your own," Rachel deadpanned before laughing.

"Let's go then," Quinn smiled, moving the conversation on.

They both got up simultaneously and headed their opposite directions, to their own gates, carrying their passions along with them.

As Quinn went to turn her gates handle, she heard the leaves on the floor in their secret garden rustling, before she turned her head, only to be engulfed by Rachel's arms, as Rachel's head buried itself into the crook of Quinn's neck.

"Thank you Quinn," Rachel mumbled.

Quinn relished the feeling of Rachel hugging her, it brought back memories of their previous friendship, although this time is ignited more feelings in her, ones of pure contentment, but ones even she was too wary to explore.

"Back at you Rachel," Quinn said, as she enveloped her arms around the slightly smaller girl.

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief when Quinn returned the gesture, feeling completely at home wrapped up in this girl. Smiling to herself, she felt at home. As her mind started to drift her thoughts into unwanted and interesting territory, she started to break the embrace.

Quinn felt the slight slack in tightness around her waist, so complied and broke the hug as well, leaving them standing facing each other in an awkward, yet somehow content silence, both missing the warm contact of each other immediately.

Rachel was first to speak.

"Night Quinn," she said softly, finally making her way back to her gate.

"Night Rachel," Quinn replied, opening hers and walking through it, back into the dullness and lifeless place that was her own garden.

She once thought that her garden was the best place to be and her own company was better than anyone else, but she has now come to realise that their secret garden was the most amazing place to be and Rachel's company was better than anyone's.

Rachel made her way back to her house completely satisfied with how their conversation and sharing session had gone. Her notepad means the world to her and to have someone accept what it read and understand the meaning of it, made it even more special to her.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Rachel slipped into bed that night, she had many nagging thoughts running through her mind at one hundred miles a minute, but she was determined to ignore them for as long as she can, as many involved the one person she wanted to think about, so her mind was at war with itself.

Needing to just contact her friend, Rachel picked up her phone and found the number she hadn't texted since junior year.

Scrolling down her contacts, she found her, "Quinn Elise Fabray".

Tapping out a quick text, she sent it, feeling now complete that she could finally fall peacefully to sleep.

At the opposite end of the garden, up into the third floor of the Fabray house, Quinn received a text just as she had jumped into bed.

Unlocking her phone and opening it, it simply read;

**Meet same time again tomorrow in the secret garden? R**

Quinn literally grinned like a Cheshire cat when she read it. It was almost as though Rachel was reading her mind.

Writing out her own text, she sent it and snuggled down into bed, smiling herself to sleep.

**I'll be there. Q**

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	4. Chapter 4

**N/A **Hello my lovely readers! I got some reviews! :D I am lame, so 4 reviews made me smile a considerable amount :) They were incredibly nice reviews, so thank you to 'agarza1538', 'faberrydragon', 'The T.M' and 'Shakka DV'; thank you. If anyone wants to spread the word about this fanfic, that would be deeply appreciated! ;) hehe. Anyway, on with the next chapter :) Enjoy.

P.S. I am sorry if there are any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors, I was tired when I wrote this, but I really wanted to update for you guys! :)

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><p>The rest of the school week flew by fairly quickly. Rachel and Quinn had performed their duet of 'Without You' in yesterday's Glee practise, both enjoying every minute of it. Quinn's marvellous plan had worked, as many of the member's noticed Rachel had not chosen to pick a solo and seemed to take it well. They did talk and ask a couple of questions but Rachel just politely answered them and explained that she wasn't too bothered about solos anymore. Everyone just turned a blind eye or accepted it, except for one intrigued brunette; Santana. Noticing the change in both Rachel and Quinn's behaviour, she took a note to talk to Quinn soon about the budding friendship between the two.<p>

Rachel had felt completely at home singing the song with Quinn, she had an amazing time and their voices just flowed together so well. Throughout the song, they both sang with equal intensity, but Rachel couldn't help but feel something else. Not sure of the certain feeling that kept arising throughout her duet with Quinn, she just let it roll over her and forgot about it; she had learnt to ignore emotions that gave her a feeling of dependency or warmth. The same worries were present in the blonde at the time, feelings other than friendship and joy had risen throughout their song, but just like Rachel, she pushed them away and focused on helping Rachel and also concentrating on succeeding her goal of photography as well.

Wednesday night, Thursday night and Friday night had the same pattern; Rachel and Quinn would go to their respective houses, have dinner and then rush to the secret garden to share yet another page of their book, or another inspirational photo on their camera. One of the pages Rachel had hesitantly showed Quinn was her view on love. Quinn had soaked in the words like she usually soaked in her photos. The words just captivated her and wouldn't let her go. The words warmed her insides, made her feel happy and sad all at the same time, whilst managing to inspire and encourage her just as much. One sentence in particular stood out to Quinn; "Love isn't blind, it just only sees what matters. Love is also patient and kind… it always protects, trusts and hopes… love never fails." It made her smile and a small tear tried to escape but Quinn reined it back in, trying not to show that it got to her too much. It just proved to Quinn how intimate and important love is to Rachel. Somewhere deep inside Quinn, something panged in her heart and made her a little jealous, almost as though she wanted to be able to give Rachel that love, but knew friendship wouldn't be enough. Quinn didn't like these pestering thoughts and feelings, so she had excused herself early from their normal 2 hour chats. Rachel tried not to let the fact that Quinn left early get to her, but it had. Did Quinn not like what she had written? It couldn't have been, because she had smiled and told Rachel how deep and sweet it was. Did the thought of love not settle right with Quinn? Rachel didn't know, but she didn't think too much into it, because at the end of the day, that is what pulled them apart last time; too much thinking.

Today, Saturday the 6th September was the day that Quinn had been dreading for the past week. Today, Judy would be taking Quinn _dress _shopping. Begrudgingly dragging herself out of bed, Quinn quickly got dressed into a casual dress with tights and a long black cardigan over the top. Judy had made Quinn set her alarm for the ridiculous time of 8am, because they would drive to the main mall in Ohio for the opening time of 9am, giving them adequate shopping time. Quinn thought it was ridiculous seeing as she hated shopping anyway, but also because the mall will be empty at least until 11am, as no one seemed to get out of bed early on a Saturday, but her mom was making her so she couldn't exactly say no. Looking out of her bedroom window, she peered over to Rachel's window and saw that her curtains were still tightly shut, walking down the two flight of stairs down to the kitchen, Quinn ran a thought through her mind, "wish I was over Rachel's, that way, I could still be sleeping."

Judy bounced over to her daughter, while Quinn was quickly eating a breakfast biscuit.

"Hey honey! Are you ready to shop until you drop?" Judy chirped ridiculously cheerfully.

"Just let me _drop_ now," Quinn mumbled through a mouthful of crumbs.

"What sweetie?" Judy asked, not having heard what her daughter had said.

"Nothing mom," Quinn smiled sweetly, before rolling her eyes and going to get her handbag and coat.

The mother and daughter relationship had gone back onto better terms, mainly because they hadn't spoken about what had happened on Monday night, but Quinn was being to spiteful and didn't want another argument and Judy simply believed she was right and that Quinn was no way in hell going to pursue a career in photography.

Slipping into to Judy's flash car, Quinn immediately pulled out her iPod and phone and started listening to _very_ loud music and sending out various random texts, truly hoping someone would just talk to her about anything, to save her from having to listen to her mom ramble on about the different sort of dresses that were in this season. As Judy got behind the wheel, she saw Quinn was preoccupied with her iPod and phone, so did the sensible thing and left her be, just concentrating on driving the empty roads to the mall. It would take about an hour to get there; this was going to be a _fun _drive.

~O~O~O~O~O~

"But mom, we've been to that shop 3 times! There wasn't anything there, I swear. You even said that all the dresses made you want to put pins in your eyes!" Quinn whined, slumping down onto the nearest bench.

"Just one more time, please. We might have missed a dress that could be perfect for you," Judy whined, copying Quinn's childish act and also dropped down onto the bench next to her.

Quinn slapped her face into her hands and let out a small helpless cry.

"Once. More." Quinn said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, really?" Judy clapped her hands together rapidly, before jumping off the bench and running into the shop.

Quinn peered up over her hands and saw her mom running through the aisles of clothes, running her hands down each side, smiling and squealing. This was the kind of moment where you really didn't want people knowing you were related.

Suddenly hearing her phone go off in her handbag, she grabbed for it a little too eagerly, completely overcome with joy that someone was going to talk to her, who wasn't her mom. Unlocking it and opening the message, her grin became even wider when she saw it was from Rachel.

**Hey, what are you up to today? Anything exciting? R**

Quinn just laughed at the irony. Rachel had no idea.

**Dress shopping with mom, for the beauty pageant next week. Three words… Kill. Me. Now. You? Q**

Slipping her phone back into her handbag, she tried to make her hair cover her face a little, before walking into the store and trying not to be associated with the screaming woman, flailing over the dresses that were just brought out from the back of the store.

Another text went off.

**Haha, that made me laugh. Sorry to hear that you are not having a nice time though. I am shopping on my own at the Ohio Shopping Mall, trying to find some more clothes, for the real me. R**

Quinn's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Ohio Shopping Mall?" her thoughts screamed. Didn't Rachel realise that Quinn was there too, seeing as she just said she was dress shopping. The Ohio Shopping Mall was practically the only shopping mall within less than a 3 hour drive.

Quickly writing out a desperate text, she sent it immediately.

**I'm here too! I need you to come rescue me, plus then you will have someone to shop with you. Q**

Quinn didn't like the idea that Rachel had obviously bussed here on her own and was now shopping on her own. You usually did that with friends, but Rachel hadn't really had the best past with friends. Well, that had now changed, so why hadn't Rachel asked Quinn to go with her?

Quinn was hiding behind a row of dresses in the window of the store, waiting for a reply. She then got one.

**You do know that you look really suspicious crouching down behind some dresses, in the store window, don't you? R**

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed and her mouth fell agape. Rachel can now read her mind? Poking her head up and looking out of the window, she spotted her favourite brunette, standing next to the bench she had been sitting on, laughing her head off. Quinn blushed, before checking her surroundings for her mom and quickly slipping out of the store doors and reaching a still laughing Rachel.

"Okay, so I was trying to hide from my mom," Quinn explained.

This only made Rachel laugh harder. She had to clutch her stomach for support.

"Sorry… it's just seeing you hiding there made me laugh, you should have seen you," Rachel choked out.

Quinn couldn't help but laugh at her own stupidity, it probably was pretty funny.

As Rachel quietened down, Quinn looked over her shoulder and saw her mom chatting with the store manager about different types of dresses; this was Quinn's perfect opportunity.

"We've got to go," Quinn grinned mischievously.

"Where?" Rachel asked suspiciously.

"Away from her," Quinn nodded her head backwards, aiming at her mom.

"Quinn! You can't do that," Rachel gasped.

"She won't even know I'm gone, just for an hour. Plus, she's in heaven right now," Quinn said.

Rachel nibbled her bottom lip. She wasn't one for being naughty and she didn't think Quinn was either, but obviously when it came to her mom, Quinn didn't mind being a tad rebellious.

"Fine," Rachel said quickly.

"Fine?" Quinn beamed.

"Yes, but quickly before I change my mind," Rachel said, suddenly nervous again.

Quinn giggled excitedly, before grabbing Rachel's hand gently and running towards the escalator happily, taking them up to the second floor, where Quinn's favourite store was, which didn't contain _any_ dresses.

Rachel smiled at Quinn's behaviour. As the escalator was slowly taking them up to the next floor in silence, Rachel peered down at their linked hands. It was an act of kindness in their friendship, but Rachel felt like they fitted so well, too well. Quinn's hands felt so soft and clean, well taken care of. Quinn couldn't help but notice Rachel's gaze on their interlocked hands, letting a small smile escape from her lips. This felt _so _right. Quinn was getting a little fidgety. Why did it feel _so _right, yet in her mind she felt as though something else was creeping to the surface, something more?

As the escalator came to the top, Quinn broke the touch before running off it and shouting over her shoulder to a dazed Rachel.

"Come on! This way," Quinn smiled widely.

Quinn would have kept their hands entwined forever, but she needed free of the warmth, just to let her head and heart breathe.

Rachel missed the sensation of Quinn's skin immediately after the delicate touch was broken. Rachel chased after the giddy blonde quickly, managing to catch up much faster than their previous chase.

"This is your favourite store?" Rachel said when she was standing next to a smiling Quinn, who was gazing up at the store's sign.

"Yep," Quinn said, "it's just casual, simple and comfortable clothes."

Rachel liked the way that Quinn was talking about clothing, but didn't quite understand.

"You don't like dresses?" Rachel asked.

It only dawned on Quinn, that Rachel didn't actually know her hatred for beauty pageants and dresses. She had assumed Rachel had known, because she had come and saved her from shopping with her mom, but realised now that she had never actually explained it to Rachel.

"I hate them," Quinn said simply, as she turned to face a confused Rachel.

"But, um, you're wearing one," Rachel said, hoping that there wasn't an obvious thing she had missed.

"I know. I am wearing one because my mom makes me, I don't actually like them. If it were up to me, I would wear skinny jeans and hoodies all day long," Quinn smiled.

Rachel was processing what Quinn was saying.

"So, you're mom makes you wear dresses, but you don't actually like them?" Rachel needed confirmation.

"Yes," Quinn answered.

"So why does she make you wear them if you don't like them?" Rachel's head was now tilted, like a little puppy trying to learn new tricks.

"It's all for my stupid modelling. Just in case I'm seen by agents or modelling agencies, my mom says they wouldn't look twice at someone wearing a hoody and jeans, but they would do a double take at a _pretty _blonde in a dress," Quinn said, while rolling her eyes.

Rachel could tell by Quinn's attitude that she wasn't fond of her modelling background at all. The way Quinn had said 'pretty' was replaying on Rachel's mind. Did Quinn not think she was pretty? Rachel shook her head, she thought Quinn was beyond pretty, beautiful even.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Rachel started, but was interrupted by Quinn.

"No, that's one thing I'm not," Quinn laughed at her own joke.

Rachel laughed a little, but slightly less than Quinn. Quinn being gay never really crossed Rachel's mind. She knew that she was, everyone did, but she had never really thought about it too much. Rachel stilled a little when Quinn had said that, only because it sparked something in Rachel that set of a slight feeling of excitement and deviance in the smaller brunette. She had no idea where the feelings were coming from, but also, she didn't know what they were trying to tell her.

"Well, anyway, so you don't like modelling and you don't think you're pretty?" Rachel asked, trying to make sense of things.

"Yes and no. Yes, I hate modelling, I just think it is pointless and full of vanity and judgemental people, but no, I do think I'm pretty, as I have been told that so often, but I don't believe that should change the way I am or what I do or how I behave," Quinn said, smiling intently at Rachel.

Rachel took in Quinn's words, sometimes thinking that Quinn should be the writer of the duo, as her words were so meaningful sometimes.

"Okay, that makes sense," Rachel finally smiled, making the conversation a little more upbeat.

"That's good then," Quinn giggled.

Rachel looked back at the store, before walking towards it and speaking to Quinn over her shoulder, while swaying her hips.

"Well, we better get shopping then," Rachel winked jokily.

Quinn inwardly shivered, before jogging after the brunette.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Um, Quinn, I don't think this one is my size," Rachel spoke through her changing room door.

Quinn was lent against the opposite wall, waiting for Rachel to try on some tops.

Walking up to Rachel's door, she lightly knocked on it.

"Let me see," she said.

Rachel slowly opened the door and immediately felt self-conscious.

Quinn took in Rachel's appearance. She was right, it definitely was not her size, but it definitely pulled more attention to Rachel's chest. Where had she been hiding those? The light blue top was meant to be a skin tight fitting, but Rachel had obviously picked the smaller size and was now realising that she didn't want _that_ much flesh showing.

"Okay, yeah, that's not your size," Quinn deadpanned, after finally pulling her unsubtle eyes from Rachel's body.

The leering of the blonde's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Rachel and she felt suddenly rather hot under Quinn's gaze.

"So not this one then," Rachel laughed.

"No, not that one," Quinn smiled, before moving back to the opposite side.

Rachel smiled, before pushing the door closed and started to try and take the top off.

Standing there for a couple of minutes, Quinn could hear some banging of the door, some huffs and puffs and finally a stomp of the foot. A smile broke out on Quinn's features, as soon as she pictured Rachel standing there, in a fit, defeated by the top.

"Rachel?" Quinn asked, knowing the brunette needed her help.

"I know, I know. I'm stuck," Rachel mumbled from the inside.

Quinn just laughed out loud, before moving back to the door and waiting for it to be unlocked.

Squeezing into the not-so-spacious changing room, Quinn immediately started laughing again. Rachel stood there, red faced, top stuck around her tiny shoulders and her hair ruffled into a mess. Quinn suddenly started choking and her breath caught in her throat, as soon as her eyes had taken in the _whole _appearance, as she realised Rachel's bra was on full show.

"Quinn, are you alright?" Rachel said worryingly, moving forward to tap the blonde's back.

Quinn fanned her hand at Rachel, choking out, "I'm fine, I'm good".

Recomposing her posture, she diverted her gaze away from Rachel's body entirely, feeling like she was taking advantage of the girl and didn't want to see something that was only meant for private eyes. Some people always had a different view of Quinn. People thought that she would be the type to just stare hungrily at girls and as soon as she would have the chance to see a girl naked, or some flesh here and there, she would immediately take full advantage of it. It couldn't be further from the truth. She admired women so much; she thought they were beautiful creatures. Yes, she did stare hungrily at them if they were in clothes and acting flirtatiously, but as soon as it came to more intimate situations, or girls in the locker room, then she would give them her complete respect and try not to look at them, valuing their privacy.

When Rachel stood there helplessly, Quinn knew it was her time to step in and help.

Not looking directly at Rachel, she tucked her hands under the hem of the top and immediately started tugging upwards.

"God Rachel, how did you get it _this _stuck?" Quinn strained.

"I don't know," Rachel whined.

Quinn gave up after a minute or so, and stood there looking at the top, and only the top, before making a decision.

"Okay, bend over," Quinn stated.

Rachel's eyes widened and Quinn burst into laughter, before speaking again.

"Bend over so I can tug off the top," Quinn laughed.

"Right yeah," Rachel just nodded, feeling less nervous.

Rachel bent over so her bottom was touching the side of the changing room and Quinn grabbed the hems from in front of her and starting pulling her way.

"It's coming," Quinn said happily.

Rachel blushed immediately, knowing all too well that her whole back was on show now.

Quinn was concentrating so hard on not looking at anywhere but the top, that she didn't realise how much force she was pulling the top with.

Unexpectedly, the top came sliding off so quick that Quinn smashed into the other side wall, followed by a flying Rachel.

The impact was forceful and both girls became a little winded and stunned.

The crumpled top, still clenched in Quinn's hands, was the only thing between Rachel's bare chest and Quinn's body. Both hearts were beating considerably fast and Quinn was far more flustered than she should be right now.

Rachel was still slightly winded from the impact of the tug, so much so, that she hadn't realised their position. Quinn had and was in a dilemma and didn't know what to do.

Rachel's hand moved up and rested on Quinn's right shoulder, as she tried to get her breath back.

Quinn's eyes had fallen to Rachel's chest and as much as she wanted to look away, she couldn't. Rachel's body looked perfect. Quinn wanted to touch the skin, feel the softness and warmth that it would give. But she didn't; she couldn't.

Quinn lightly pushed Rachel back using the top, still held tight in her hands. Looking away and not meeting the brunette's gaze, she just motioned for Rachel to take it.

"Sorry for ramming into you," Rachel just said, still a little breathless, whilst taking the top from Quinn's shaking hands.

Rachel genuinely needed to get her breath back, because she had actually winded herself, but she also felt like she needed more air. She always felt elated when she was in the blonde's presence, but today, her heart beat was all over the place and she felt incredibly confused inside. Then, to slam into the blonde and feel the shape and curves of Quinn's body against her own, just made her mind think through things twice as much.

Quinn could swear she was going to faint, she felt too hot. She wished Rachel hadn't said that last sentence, as it seemed to give Quinn a rush of adrenaline to places she didn't think it go just from words.

Rachel was now clutching the top in her right hand, while her left hand was on her hip. She was panting, still getting her breath back. Every now and again, she would lightly brush her forehead with her left hand. At this exact moment in time, Quinn was seeing her best friend in a different light. She was generally feeling that Rachel didn't just look beautiful, she looked sexy. She looked attractive and more mature.

Quinn needed to get out. She started to become more aware of what she was feeling and knew this was bad territory for a friendship that was only just starting.

"That's okay. You better get dressed and then we can head on out," Quinn smiled quickly, before slipping out of the changing room and waiting outside the door.

Bending down to her knees and letting the much needed blood flow back to her head, she thought things through. The way Rachel had looked at her, when she had obviously caught Quinn's gaze looking at her chest in the light blue top, weren't as Quinn was expecting. They were almost daring, questioning her actions, like Rachel wanted Quinn to do something, to say something. Rachel's eyes had almost spoken to Quinn, but Quinn couldn't decipher what they were trying to say or if they were saying anything at all.

After a couple of minutes, which felt like an eternity, Rachel finally came out of the changing room, holding the light blue top in one hand and the other two tops in the other.

"So, you're getting those two then?" Quinn smiled, pointing at the two tops in Rachel's left hand.

"No, I was thinking of getting this one," Rachel smiled mischievously.

Quinn looked down at said top. It was the light blue one that had caused the awkward situation in the changing rooms; the top that Rachel could hardly get off.

"But Rachel, you couldn't even get that top off," Quinn laughed.

"It will be fine, I like it," Rachel quickly shot a smile, before walking out of the dressing rooms and hanging the two tops she didn't want on the rails, before walking to the checkout.

Quinn just shook her head, before following the brunette.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Rachel and Quinn were sat down, grabbing a bite too eat before going to face Quinn's mom, a few familiar people came strolling up to them on their bench.

"Hey you two," Brittany beamed.

Rachel and Quinn turned their heads, as they saw Brittany, Santana and Santana's younger sister, Bianca, walking towards them, eating some lollipops they had just bought from the candy store.

"Hey guys, wasn't expecting to see you here," Rachel smiled, hoping Santana would be nice seeing as Brittany was here.

"Same to you two," Santana smiled.

Rachel studied Santana's smile and was surprised when she noticed it was genuine, it didn't feel forced or fake; it felt real.

"Hi Bianca," Quinn beamed at the girl.

"Hey Quinn," she replied, before going in for a hug.

Bianca Lopez was 14 years old and went to McKinley High as well. She basically looked like a mini Santana, brown hair and dark brown eyes, with radiant dark skin; only, it was a little darker than Santana's. The main difference was Bianca was a tomboy, preferring to wear jeans and a baggy t-shirt than dresses or skirts, and her hair was short, sitting just on the shoulder, unlike Santana's long flowing hair. Quinn has always thought that Bianca was incredibly pretty, except the girl didn't seem to like makeup or anything, and Quinn respected that about her, realising that then if someone liked Bianca, at least she would know they liked her for who she was and not what she wore on the outside.

"I've seen you around school haven't I?" Rachel studied the younger girl.

Just making the connection between Santana and Bianca, Rachel then gasped and smiled.

"I never knew you had a sister Santana!" Rachel was shocked.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Santana said back, before laughing a little to show it was all in good nature.

"Touché," Rachel replied.

Quinn was surprised to see the two brunettes getting on so well, hoping that it would last. She could tell Santana was trying her hardest, mainly because she felt like she had to be a role model to her younger sister, but also Quinn believed that Santana did want to turn a new leaf with Rachel, today obviously being the new beginning.

"You must be Rachel Berry, how could I not know you," Bianca grinned.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Rachel smiled.

"It is. I think you're amazing, like, your voice is just captivating and overwhelming," Bianca looked on in awe.

Rachel blushed under the intense gaze of Bianca, before tucking her hair behind her ear and replying.

"Well, thank you, but my voice is just one thing about me, I actually prefer other things, but thank you very much," Rachel said, not wanting another person who just knew her for her voice.

Bianca smiled even more, before sitting down on the floor in front of them and getting out her phone and starting to text away.

As comfortable silence fell upon them and Rachel and Quinn went back to eating their lunches, Santana gently nudged Brittany's arm to remind her of what she needed to ask the two girls.

"Oh yeah, I remember now," Brittany smiled at her girlfriend.

As this was said, it caught the attention of Rachel and Quinn, who put their lunches to the side again and listened to what Brittany had to say.

"Okay, as you know, my mom's anniversary is in one week and I always do my 5km run for her charity. This year, I was really hoping that you guys would run with me?" Brittany smiled, hoping her friends would be by her side at the glorious event.

Rachel and Quinn looked at each other, before turning back to Brittany, not having to think twice about their answer. Speaking at the same time, they both shouted out their answer, with a grin from each of them.

"Of course!" they both squealed.

Rachel spoke up again.

"You don't even have to ask Brittany, it would be my pleasure," Rachel got up from her seat and quickly hugged her friend, before returning to sit next to Quinn, a little closer this time.

Sometimes, even though Rachel would be right next to Quinn, she felt so far away, especially if there were other people around. If they were alone, she didn't feel the need to be too close, because Quinn wasn't exactly going anywhere, but when there were other people, Rachel had a weird feeling that Quinn would leave her. It wasn't jealously, it was more like an insecurity of hers, but one that Rachel never thought about, because the thought of becoming dependant on someone scared her senseless.

"What is the theme this year?" Quinn smiled, immediately feeling the heat from Rachel's body on her own as the brunette sat back down again.

"Bright colours! Anything colourful and vibrant, no black or white," Brittany stated, smiling widely.

"Sounds great," Rachel said enthusiastically.

"Can I come?" Bianca interrupted from her seat on the floor.

"Anyone is welcome. Bring some friends as well, the more the better, but remember to get sponsored," Brittany was so happy to be getting more people on board; her mom would be proud.

"Okay, I will do," Bianca grinned, before returning to her phone.

"Oh, but this year, as it's on a Monday, which would be her actual anniversary, it's a school day, so we are having to do it on the weekend before, so Saturday the 13th," Brittany quickly added on.

"Yeah, that makes sense, plus more people will be able to make it then," Rachel chatted away.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Brittany chatted along.

Quinn knew that the date rung a bell. She thought it over in her head, "Saturday… Saturday the 13th… two weeks time… Saturday… the beauty pageant!" Slamming her head into her hands before groaning audibly, the attention from the rest of the group fell onto her.

"Are you okay Quinn?" Rachel asked, concerned. She absent-mindedly put her arm around Quinn's shoulders, resulting in the blonde raising her head almost immediately.

"Not really," Quinn moaned, relishing in the feeling of Rachel's warmth.

"Don't you want to do the charity run anymore?" Brittany sadly asked.

"No, I _really _want to, but that's the problem. I have a beauty pageant on that day, as much as I hate it and don't want to go," Quinn whined.

"Don't go then," Santana simply said.

"I have to, my mom makes me. I don't like them though and I will try and find a way not to go," Quinn said, with a look of determination spread across her face.

"I never knew you didn't like them. Well, you definitely do learn a new thing everyday," Santana mused to herself.

Quinn knew that Santana probably wouldn't care if Quinn liked them or not, so didn't see it as a big deal to tell Santana about her hatred for beauty pageants. She just knew that Santana would stick by her, regardless of her choice of what to do.

"Don't worry Brittany, I'll be there," Quinn finally said, having thought a plan over in her mind.

As Rachel moved her arm away from Quinn's shoulders, she whispered into Quinn's ear, whilst the others went back to chatting between the three of them.

"What are you thinking Quinn?" Rachel asked, knowing all too well that Quinn was thinking up a plan that would most probably get her into trouble.

Shivers spilt down Quinn's spine, resulting in her having to bite the inside of her bottom lip to trap the moan that tried to escape. Rachel's whisper had been so close, that her warm breath had flowed over Quinn's lobe and the deepness of Rachel's voice echoed right through the blonde's body. How can one whisper ignite such a strong response from someone? How can one touch result in pure heaven and innocence? How can one breath travelling across your skin, make the hairs on the back of your neck rise out of your body and make you forget your thoughts for a split second?

Quinn turned towards Rachel.

"Let's just say, I am definitely going to do that charity run," Quinn smirked.

Rachel laughed, before finally finishing off her lunch, as Quinn did the same.

Ten or so minutes had passed and the girls where all sat in a little circle, Rachel and Quinn still seated on the bench, as the other three sat below on the floor. Laughing about anything and everything with her friends, Quinn suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine, but not the nice kind.

Quinn saw Santana's eyes land on someone, who was obviously stood right behind her.

Brittany stopped laughing and Bianca just looked on with a confused expression on her face.

Quinn knew who it was right away and she felt sick at the consequences she would now have to face, for having had an amazing time with Rachel and then meeting her friends.

"Quinn Elise Fabray!" the voice echoed through the mall.

Rachel jumped off the bench, coincidentally chucking her lunch rubbish into Santana's face, resulting in Santana squealing and running off to find the nearest bathroom she could clean herself in. Brittany just laughed at her girlfriend. She loved the fact that Santana could have such a hard exterior and then as soon as she gets dirty or doesn't like something, she goes all girly and starts to squeal.

Brittany looked sympathetically at Rachel, before getting up off the floor, tapping Bianca's arm to make her follow her to the bathroom.

"Don't worry Rachel, she's not mad. I'm going to go after her. See you at school," Brittany smiled, before walking off into the direction of the bathroom.

"Bye Rachel," Bianca waved, before trailing after Brittany.

Rachel just let out a sigh of relief, lucky that Santana hadn't lashed out at her, before turning around to see Judy red-faced and looking at Quinn, as Quinn stood there helplessly the other side of the bench.

Rachel had never met Judy before, but could easily tell she was Quinn's mom by the fact they looked exactly the same.

Rachel just stood idly as the two talked, or you could say, shouted over what had happened.

"You don't just go running off!" Judy shouted, causing Quinn to flinch a little.

"I didn't run off. I simply went shopping for a little bit with Rachel. Anyway, you were too busy cooing over the damn dresses!" Quinn raised her voice to match her mom's.

Judy looked over Quinn's shoulder to study Rachel, already making a snap judgement that Rachel was the cause of Quinn's run-away behaviour.

"Okay, maybe I didn't recognise you were gone until twenty minutes ago, but that's not the point!" Judy said.

"Exactly, so you can't go getting mad at me, when you hadn't actually realised I was even gone," Quinn spat back.

Quinn peered over her shoulder and sent Rachel an apologetic look and mouthed, "I'm sorry", before turning back to her mom.

"Well, I don't care. You're grounded, you hear me. You're not going out for a week," Judy shouted, before turning around and heading for the exit of the mall, whilst shouting to Quinn over her shoulder.

"You better get in the car in the next five minutes, otherwise you're walking home!" she ended it there.

As Rachel and Quinn watched Judy storm out, they then finally turned to look at each other.

"Sorry about that Rachel," Quinn said, embarrassed to having just been shouted at in front of her friend.

"Don't worry about me, are you okay?" Rachel stepped a little closer, wanting to put a comforting hand on Quinn's upper arm, but thought against it.

"I will be. I just hate it, you know, the one time I finally get a little control over what I do and have fun with my friends, she comes back and dictates it all again, making me miserable," Quinn sighed, before picking up her bags and starting to walk with Rachel to the exit.

"Well, then get the control back. If you keep giving into her, then she will always win," Rachel stated.

Quinn stopped mid-step.

"You're right," Quinn said, looking off into the distance.

"I am?" Rachel looked around, thinking maybe Quinn was addressing someone else.

"Yeah, you are. Why hadn't I thought about this before," Quinn continued, "I have always put up little fights against her, or been a bit rebellious, like today, then it will always end in a fight and she wins, but like you said, if I keep fighting against it and not give in, then she can't win and she will finally see that actually, I have control over my _own_ life," Quinn beamed.

Rachel started beaming along, happy to have helped.

Quinn turned to face Rachel, before grabbing both of the brunette's hands, which she couldn't get enough of feeling and touching.

"I know I'm helping you introduce the new you, which you basically are doing really well anyway, but I need you to help me," Quinn looked deeply into Rachel's eyes.

Almost as though she was under a trance, she complied.

"Okay," Rachel said.

"I will just need you to be there for me if I do fight against my mom and things get rough," Quinn said back.

"Quinn, I will do that anyway. You don't have to ask for that. That is just under the rules of being a friend," Rachel giggled.

Breaking the hand hold, Quinn just stood up straight.

"Oh yeah, good point," Quinn pursed her lips, realising that she had just been a bit blonde.

Rachel glanced at her watch, before getting a little nervous.

"Umm, Quinn? It's been five minutes," Rachel spoke up anxiously.

"I know," Quinn just smiled.

Rachel's face turned from one of panic, to one of cheekiness and mischief, knowing Quinn had already started her plan of gaining control.

"Walk with me," Quinn simply said.

Rachel did as Quinn pleased, as they finally walked out of the exit of the mall, before Quinn stopped outside the bus stop, just along from the mall.

"You're getting the bus aren't you," Rachel smirked.

"Yep," Quinn grinned, "she thinks she has the upper hand by ordering that I get in the car in five minutes, but this just shows her that I am independent enough to make my own decisions and not have to live by her rules all the time."

Rachel just laughed, feeling a little naughty but glad to see Quinn feeling more strong.

Judy had waited in the car long enough, before pulling out of the car park and driving down the road in front of the mall. She spotted her daughter and her daughter's friend getting on a bus and she had to stop the car on the side of the road, as she watched the bus drive off.

Judy felt completely at loss. Her baby girl, who was her only way of living her dream, was finally moving on and becoming more aware of the strength that she actually has as an individual. Judy only does what she does to protect Quinn, or so she says. Letting a stray tear fall from her eye, she finally pulled away, travelling off in the direction of her home, while her daughter went the same way but in a completely different vehicle, thinking different thoughts, having different passions, wanting different things and finally, having a different dream.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The bus slowly pulled up outside the Fabray residents, as this was the closest bus stop for both Rachel and Quinn. Hopping off, still laughing over their conversation on the bus, they walked up Quinn's path.

"Right, I better get in before my mom gets back, as I have a feeling there will be more yelling," Quinn rolls her eyes.

"I hate the fact that I can't help do something about this all," Rachel sighs, looking away.

"You don't need to do anything. You just being my friend is enough Rach," Quinn smiled, lightly touching Rachel's upper arm before retreating again, just as quickly as she went to touch.

Rachel stilled. Quinn stilled.

A nickname, that's all it was. How can a nickname mean so much more? It's almost as though, you've gone past the boundary of being formal and now it was like you knew each other so well, you could call them what you want and it was normal. Rachel had never had a nickname before, except for dwarf, man-hands, treasure trail, frigid Queen, but these were not nicknames, these were labels that meant nothing apart from the bully had too much free time on their hands. What Quinn had just called her was a declaration of appreciation, of friendship. It ignited a fire within Rachel and she smiled brightly, like the flames roaring off said fire.

"You just called me Rach," she said quietly.

Quinn had stilled knowing that she had called Rachel a name, that to her meant so much more than just a name. It made Quinn feel more close to the brunette, more connected.

"I did?" Quinn asked, not knowing whether Rachel liked it or not.

"Yep," Rachel smiled sweetly.

"Sorry," Quinn said, looking to the ground.

Had she over-stepped the mark? Quinn believed in her heart that their past was forgotten, but what if calling Rachel something no one else did, meant that it made Rachel think about their past?

"Don't be sorry. I like the name Rach," she grinned.

"You do?" Quinn looked up from the ground, meeting dazzling brown eyes.

"Yep, call me if more often," Rachel laughed.

"Okay Rach," Quinn laughed back.

Letting the laughter settle down, as the sun did the same, the two girls went to say their goodbyes.

"I won't be in the secret garden tonight," Quinn sighed.

"Well, you are grounded, so I wasn't expecting you too," Rachel smiled sympathetically.

"Don't go on your own," Quinn said quietly.

Quinn didn't like the idea of Rachel being down the bottom of her garden on her own, anything could happen. It was dark down there, with logs and twigs which could hurt you if you stepped the wrong way. Also, Rachel tended to make the mistake of never taking enough clothes and would always get cold and Quinn wouldn't be there to wrap her coat round the brunette's petite shoulders.

"I won't, it wouldn't feel the same," Rachel smiled, before quickly hugging Quinn before walking off into the direction of her own house.

Neither of them knew what sort of reaction that a small gesture of a hug ignited in both of their bodies. Fire, butterflies, tingles and goose bumps.

As Rachel casually walked home, she tried to figure out what her thoughts were telling her. She felt hopeless trying to analyse the completely confusing thoughts towards the blonde though, none of them seemed to make sense. Feeling the need to burn of some of the adrenaline and hopefully stamp out the thoughts, Rachel decided to run home, fast.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Quinn was lying in her bed, snuggled under her plush duvet, when she felt the need to text Rachel. Her mom had come home and made her go and stay up in her room for the rest of the night. Quinn could hear her father having words with her mom about Judy's behaviour and from the sounds of things, Tony was winning.

Quinn could never understand why parents make their children stay in their bedrooms, as to Quinn, this was the best place to be; TV, iPod, phone, laptop, music and a comfy bed. If Judy wanted to punish her, she should make her stay down in the living room and watch reality TV shows or beauty pageants shows with her mom; not _that_ would be a punishment.

Reaching for her phone, which was balancing on the edge of her bed side table, Quinn took a quick photo and sent it in a multimedia message to Rachel, knowing all too well that it would at least get a smile out of the brunette.

After saying goodnight to her dads, Rachel jogged upstairs and started to settle down for the night. Usually, Saturday nights were Rachel and her dads movie nights, but Rachel didn't feel like it today. Turning on her TV to a quiet and calming volume, she sat crossed-legged on her bed, about to paint her toenails, when her phone alerted her of a new text.

Unlocking her phone and realising it was a multimedia message from Quinn, her heart skipped a beat. A text message from Quinn was enough to make the brunette giddy with joy, but a multimedia message just excited to girl even more.

"What could it be?" she wondered.

She opened the text message and burst into uncontrollable giggles, while releasing a laughing snort as well. Rachel was glad she was on her own as she always had the tendency to snort while laughing, which made her feel quite embarrassed if she was in public.

Quinn had taken a picture of herself, just head and shoulders, sticking her tongue out and making a goofy face towards the camera. Her skin was shiny, but not oily and her hair was a little messy; bed hair. Hazel eyes shone towards the camera lens and her perfect smooth tongue poked out to the left, while she managed to grin as well.

Rachel managed to read the message underneath the picture through her tears of laughter.

**Seeing as I can't show you a photo in the secret garden tonight, I thought I'd send you a silly one for now, just for fun. Night Rach. Q**

Rachel was beaming and wouldn't stop until someone made her. Quinn had never been cuter than this moment right here. Rachel loved the photo. It was the only one she had of Quinn, apart from a couple from about a year ago, but they didn't mean as much as this one. This was personal; Quinn took it especially for her.

Rachel quickly took a photo, before attaching it to a text and sending it back to Quinn. Rachel smiled the whole night, up until she fell asleep and even then she was still smiling bright like the sun.

Quinn received Rachel's picture message about 10 minutes after she had sent hers. Giggling to herself, she opened the text up and smiled broadly at the adorable brunette in the picture. Rachel was standing in front of her bedroom window which looked over their gardens. Rachel was then standing towards the camera, but with her free hand, she was pointing down into the garden at the trees, where underneath laid their secret garden. Rachel had a 100 watt grin on her face and she's goofily pointing towards their favourite place.

Under the picture, Quinn read the message.

**And I thought I'd send you a silly one too. It is me pointing to where I wish we were right now. Night Quinn. R**

Quinn would swear she was dying of cuteness right now, but she was pretty sure you couldn't die from that. She saved the photo as her background, as it had her two favourite things in it; Rachel and their secret garden. Oh and it was a photo, which included photography, her third interest.

Quinn ignored all the signs and thoughts that were flashing in front of her eyes, as she fell peacefully to sleep, her phone laying right beside her on the bedside table, screen dimly lit, with a smiling Rachel posing perfectly in front of their secret garden.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	5. Chapter 5

**N/A **Aww, man. You lovely readers are too nice! You're reviews make me smile so much! Hope you are enjoying it, well, by the reviews it sounds like you are, so that's brilliant. If you're reading this and not reviewing, that's cool, but I would love to hear what you think! :)

P.S. If any of you have twitter, then message me and I can give you my username so we can chat on twitter if you want :)

Anyway, on with chapter 5, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Today was the day. It was Saturday the 13th; Quinn's decision time.<p>

The past week had flown past fairly fast as nothing really happened; it wasn't exactly eventful. Rachel had been quite moody and glum at home, as her dads had observed. She would get all frustrated in the evenings when she wanted to go out to the secret garden, but Quinn wouldn't be there and going there on her own isn't the same. Instead, she sung in her room and sent multiple pictures to Quinn of random things that didn't really make much sense. On Tuesday night, she had taken a picture of a sock. Under the picture of the lonely sock, she had put; **I feel like this sock. It should have its pair, but because the other one is **_**grounded**_** they can't be the pair they should be. I want to go to the secret garden! R **

When Quinn had received the picture of the sock, she had burst into laughter. "A sock? Really?" she had thought. If she was honest, she felt exactly the same. Sitting in her room every night wasn't exactly the height of fun. She would much prefer to be in the secret garden with Rachel, letting Rachel read her stories out loud and getting lost in her voice.

At school, they spent every waking minute together. If they were in the same class, they would sit next to each other, if they were in Glee club, they would always dance near each other and sometimes together, but this would usually inwardly excite each of the girls too much and they would part again. At lunchtimes, they would eat with the rest of their friends, except they would always sit together. They couldn't get enough of the other's company. They needed to be in the same place, breathing the same air and sharing each other's warmth.

The whole week Santana was subtly observing Rachel and Quinn's behaviour. She had calmed down about Rachel a lot, even though it had only been a week, but she generally believed that she could become Rachel's friend. Even though, she didn't like the feeling of losing her best friend, Rachel made Quinn happy, so Santana was learning that as long as Quinn was happy, then she would have to learn to be. Each touch or move that Rachel or Quinn would make in classes or Glee, Santana's eyebrow would always raise, analysing their body languages. She could sense something was growing between the pair and she found it oddly cute, but she doesn't know if the brunette and blonde truly understand what that 'growing' thing was.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Gradually waking up, Quinn rubbed her tired eyes, whilst sitting on the edge of her bed. She felt sick. Today was going to be chaos. She had a plan running through her head, but she didn't know if she would be able to pull it off. She thought she was a rather confident girl, but as she thought more about her plan, the more nervous she became. Nerves, they're horrible things. They can make you stronger and push you on, or they can break you and make you a shivering wreck. Quinn was determined to build on the nerves, use them to make her more certain about her plan.

It was currently 8am on this sunny morning. Four hours until the beauty pageant, six hours until Brittany's charity run and only two hours before Quinn's plan goes into full action.

As Quinn was about to get up from her bed, there was a light knock on the door. She sat back down and greeted the person in.

"Come in," Quinn said politely.

As the door opened slowly, Tony stood patiently at the door, knowing this was his daughter's most important space, apart from the secret garden of course, so he respected it. He was dressed smartly today, ready for the beauty pageant. Tony was sporting a smart suit with a red tie, to match the red dress that Quinn would be wearing.

"Dad, you can come in you know," Quinn giggled.

He nodded slightly and made his way into the room that seemed so foreign to him. Parents were practically forbidden from Quinn's room, but secretly she loved having her dad with her; he made her smile.

"Quinn, I know you don't want to go today," he started off, "just do this one and then I will be sure not to let you do anymore."

Tony was stood proudly in the centre of her room, with determination written all over his face.

"Dad, I have a plan," Quinn said quickly.

Tony smirked a little, liking the sound of Quinn's idea. He knew that she got the rebellious and headstrong attitude from him, as he would have done exactly the same if he was her age.

"Am I allowed to know?" he asked, excited to hear what Quinn had thought up.

Quinn pursed her lips and thought about it. It could be useful having an ally in her plan, someone to help her out if it all goes wrong.

"Okay," she started, before motioning for her dad to come and sit by her.

He did as his daughter had asked, but before sitting down; he went to the door and closed it. Tony made his journey back over to the bed and perched next to his daughter and waited for her voice to quietly fill the room.

"I am going to go to the secret garden with Rachel at ten o'clock and I am going to change myself so that mom won't want me to go on stage looking like I will look," she said in a whisper.

Tony was a little confused if he was being honest. Not really knowing what his daughter was speaking about, he had to ask a question, but he was slightly worried about the answer that he would get.

"What do you mean? I don't want you to change Quinn, you're beautiful," her dad said softly.

Quinn shyly nudged him in the arm, before laying her head on his broad and sturdy shoulder, breathing in his smell of Brut Cologne. It wasn't strong and overpowering, it was subtle and welcoming. She loved the smell of her dad, it kept her sane and made her feel protected, like she didn't have _all_ the pressure on her shoulders anymore.

"You will see," she smiled into the air.

"I guess I will, but don't go doing something stupid," he laughed, before Quinn joined in.

The peace was finally broken when Judy knocked once on the door, hard, before not even waiting for an answer and marching into Quinn's space.

This resulted in a glare from the young blonde, not liking the intrusion.

"I'll go downstairs to have some breakfast," Tony said, not looking at his wife, before kissing Quinn on the forehead and making his way for the door.

"I love you dad," Quinn said loudly to her father, who was just walking out of her door.

Tony turned around and proudly looked at his daughter, who was smiling lovingly at him.

"And I love you Quinn, don't go changing too much," he winked before walking down the stairs to the second floor.

Silence filled the room, as Quinn didn't bother making conversation and started to slowly make her way to her bathroom.

"What did your father mean?" Judy laughed a little, but secretly wanted to know what was going on.

"I'm not sure to be honest," Quinn lied.

Judy just shrugged it off.

"Well, anyway, it's the big day! Are you ready to strut your stuff?" Judy clapped excitedly.

Quinn cringed at her mother's words. She hated everything about the beauty pageants; the words, the sights, the dresses, the fake smiles and the fake laughs. Turning around on her heel, she talked to her mom.

"No not really and you know that," Quinn said firmly.

Judy looked away from piercing hazel eyes and found the floor rather interesting.

"Just this one," Judy whispered.

"Yeah, just this one, that's what you said last time," Quinn said.

"Well, anyway, we are leaving at half ten, so we get there on time," Judy said, looking back up to her daughter.

That's another thing Quinn hated about her mother. She loved the way Judy would just ignore what she didn't want to hear and would change the subject when she knew she was losing the fight. Everybody does it; ignore what their hearts don't want to hear, it's just protection, protecting ourselves from news and words that we know will hurt us or make us change. But Quinn thought the way Judy was ignoring it, was pathetic.

"I will be going with Rachel, she can drive us," Quinn said confidently, remembering what Rachel had said to her about not giving in.

Judy stiffened at Quinn's rebellion. Feeling completely useless at getting her daughter back, Judy just replied with a simple but annoyed answer.

"Fine," she said.

Leaving Quinn's bedroom, she shut the door a little too hard.

Standing up and internally giving herself a pat on the back, Quinn smiled mischievously before looking at the time and realising she needed to get a move on. She now had an hour and a half until her plan was a go, but for now she needed to have a shower, find some clothes, grab a towel and text Rachel with her plan, hoping to dear god that Rachel would be able to help, otherwise her plan would fail. She felt a little nervous needing to depend on Rachel so much, but somehow she felt as though it was okay, that she could trust the brunette with anything.

After Quinn had taken a steaming hot shower, she opened her wardrobe and beamed when she saw the box she was looking for. Stretching into the back of her wardrobe, she dragged out said box and laid it on her bed. Lightly blowing off the thin layer of dust that had accumulated on the box's lid; she grinned and started to tear away at the tape that sealed it shut. Finally breaking the box free, she chucked the lid onto the floor and started taking out the items of clothing she had missed and loved. Squealing a little to herself, she started to choose which items she was going to wear for this big day. Putting her finger to her chin and tapping it lightly, contemplating the choices of what to wear, she finally settled for the old fashioned game of 'eeny, meeny, miney, mo'. She loved each item of material in that box, so she didn't really mind which pieces of clothing the game would pick.

Smiling at the ones that were picked, she started to get dressed.

Quickly putting on some underwear, she then grabbed the white t shirt, which had a cartoon of a dinosaur with a bandana on and the word 'ninjasaurus!' spread across the bottom of the t shirt, and slipped it on, immediately loving the feeling of wearing a comfortable t shirt that hugged her figure and let her skin breathe. Next, she took the blue skinny jeans in her hands and giggled to herself. It had been years since she had worn jeans, except for a couple of numbers in Glee, and she was happy to have them back. Doing the little jean dance of putting her left foot in, then her right foot, before jumping and pulling at the same time, then wiggling to get the jeans up and then doing them up. She had missed the jean dance. She smiled as she looked in her mirror, loving the fact that she finally felt like herself. Grabbing a zip up hoody and a pair of converses from the depths of her wardrobe, she sat on her bed, reading a magazine before her plan would go into full operation.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Quinn looked at her clock, it read, "9:54am". It was one minute until she would text Rachel and six minutes until her plan would be finally up and running. She was nervous but extremely excited at the same time. She knew that she should feel bad about going against her mom's word, but in this situation, she felt she deserved to have her own way; plus, her father supported her.

She watched the minute tick over. How can a minute feel like an eternity? Thousands of minutes pass each day without people really noticing it, but when you are waiting to do something or waiting for someone important, a minute can feel like an hour.

Picking up her phone, she wrote out a text to Rachel and quickly sent it, before getting up of the bed and grabbing the towel, her bag for the beauty pageant and some scissors. Running quickly down the stairs, she passed her dad in the kitchen, who simply smiled and winked at her, before she ran quickly into the garden.

Rachel had been up for quite a while today and she was playing Sims on her computer, when she got a text from one Quinn Fabray. Rachel knew today was the beauty pageant and the charity run, so she was expecting a text from Quinn, but not this early.

Opening it up, she looked confused as she read the message.

**Come to our secret garden now. I need your help with something. Q**

Rachel saw that the message was sent a minute ago, so she closed down her computer and made her way into the garden, before heading up to the secret garden, once again realising she should have brought a coat.

Finally opening her gate to the secret garden, she saw Quinn standing there with a grin 10 miles wide on her face. Rachel just giggled, before closing her gate and walking over to meet Quinn, happy to once again be in her company; just the two of them.

Rachel watched Quinn peer at her watch, before Quinn squealed and spoke up.

"The plan is officially a go!" Quinn beamed.

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, while smiling at the blonde. When it finally clicked in her head, Rachel squealed as well. She had completely forgotten about the plan.

"Yay!" she clapped her hands in eagerness, before completely stopping and her eyebrows once again furrowed in confusion, "wait, what is the plan?"

Quinn just winked, before picking up her bag and pulling out a pair of scissors and her towel.

Rachel look a little shocked and if she was honest, she felt a little bit threatened, even though she knew Quinn would _never _hurt her.

"Scissors? What are we going to do? Go and cut your dress up?" Rachel laughed nervously.

"Ooh, that would have been a good one too!" Quinn grinned.

Rachel just looked at her.

"No," Rachel said.

Quinn laughed to ease the tension, and then handed the scissors to Rachel, before wrapping the towel around her own shoulders and sat down on the blue covered log.

"No, we're not cutting my dress, but you _are_ cutting my hair," Quinn smirked.

Rachel nearly dropped the scissors, but caught them at the last minute. Her mouth was open and her eyes screamed worry. Rachel had never cut someone's hair before and she never thought she would; she wasn't planning on becoming a hairdresser.

"Quinn! I can't cut your hair," Rachel gasped.

"Yes you can Rach, I trust you," Quinn smiled, before waving her over.

That sentence made Rachel crumble inside. Her nickname, positivity and trust; what more can she want? Rachel warmed when Quinn had put her trust in her but she still felt ridiculously nervous. Trust was a deep word, it meant so much more than people realised. You only ever know the true meaning of trust, when it gets broken or when it gets made. Quinn and Rachel's trust had just been made and now they felt even more connected than they already did.

"Okay, I can do this," Rachel said more to herself than to Quinn.

Moving to squeeze behind Quinn's log, she felt the scissors in her hand, making herself comfortable with the object, needing to feel its shape and force. Picking up some hair between her fingers, she went to start cutting before stopping, just as the blade sliced through one fine hair, letting it fall gracefully to the floor.

"Wait, how do you want it?" Rachel asked quickly.

Quinn giggled, before looking at her watch and knowing that they needed to get going. They were going to be late anyway, as it was already ten past ten, but Quinn really didn't mind.

"Short and choppy, I can go to the hairdressers tomorrow to get it neatened up, but I just need it done before the beauty pageant," Quinn said quickly back.

"Okay, so it doesn't matter if it's not perfect?" Rachel bit her lip worryingly.

"Nothing's perfect Rach," Quinn said, laughing a little, to calm Rachel down.

As soon as the words left Quinn's mouth, she regretted it immediately. There were two words in that sentence that stuck out to her and it certainly wasn't 'nothing's'. Rachel and perfect fitted together well, too well. Maybe there was something perfect in this world, maybe Quinn was just trying not to see it as she felt scared of the feelings it would bring.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Rachel shrugged, before picking up the strands of hair which were the longest before putting the scissors up to it.

One close of the blades and those strands are gone, falling helplessly to the floor, as another bunch of strands of sliced off, and then another.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Where is she? She's going to be late!" Judy fussed, pacing back and forth in their backstage dressing room.

Tony rubbed his temples, as his head was aching from the high pitched tone of his wife's nagging voice. Sitting comfortably in the chair situated in the corner of the dressing room they had been given, he spoke up to his wife.

"You know she doesn't want to come anyway," he said.

Judy turned around quickly to face her husband.

"I don't care if she doesn't want to come, she will be here. This is her only talent and if she throws that away then I don't know what I'll do. Why are you two such a little tight pair? You're always siding with each other. Quinn knows I am only doing this for her," Judy ranted, feeling the pressure of the pageant building up inside her.

Tony just shook his head at his wife. It was sad for him that his wife and the mother of his daughter knew so little about the young blonde. If only Judy knew how amazing Quinn truly was. If Judy stopped looking at Quinn as how she wanted to see her and started looking at her of how Quinn actually was, then maybe she would understand her daughter a lot more.

As Tony was about to speak up, they heard a familiar voice come from the doorway.

"Better late than never," Quinn's voice travelled through their small dressing room.

Tony smiled before he raised his head and he grinned with pride, as his eyes met Quinn's and they shared a virtual high five. Taking in his daughter's appearance, he smiled proudly as her father. She looked incredibly mature and Rachel wasn't such a bad hairdresser. Tony bared that in mind; it could come is useful for his monthly trim. Tony then waited for his wife's reaction, ready to protect his daughter if need be.

Judy was so relieved to hear the voice, until she turned around and nearly had a heart attack. Standing in the middle of the dressing room, Judy had to reach on to the dressing table to steady herself. Quinn's hair was cut short, just under her jaw line and had layers through it. Bangs lay across her forehead and her face shines through.

"Quinn! What have you done to your hair?" Judy gasped.

Quinn moved closer into the dressing room, followed by a shy Rachel.

"You don't like it?" Quinn asked, knowing her mother would hate it.

So far, the plan was working to Quinn's advantage. She loved her new hair, even though it did feel a little strange, not having the long hair to cover herself when she wanted to hide from the world, but since becoming friends with Rachel again, she didn't feel the need to hide, she felt the need to get out there and see everything the world had to give.

"Don't like it? I think it's crazy. The judges will think you can't look after yourself. Your long locks, they were amazing Quinn," Judy started to get angry and a little sad.

Quinn smiled a little, when her mom had mentioned that the judges wouldn't like it.

Judy looked around the room and took in everyone's attitudes, everything almost feeling like it was going in slow motion. Gradually looking at her husband, he was smiling and gave a wink to his daughter, before beaming at the little brunette behind Quinn. Rachel had a little smirk on her face and her daughter was grinning and feeling her short hair with her hands.

Judy worked things through her mind, before speaking up again.

"Wait a minute, you did this deliberately and you knew the judges wouldn't like it!" Judy gasped, covering her heart with her hand.

Quinn hated the use of dramatic gestures that her mom would always do, there was no need for them.

Quinn's face dropped a little. Reminding herself to keep with the plan, she straightened her shoulders and replied to her mom's accusation.

"What are you on about, I just changed my hair because I wanted to," Quinn argued back.

Judy wasn't letting her daughter win this one; she knew what she was up to.

"You little brat, I know that you are doing this to try and not do the pageant, but that just seals it. Get dressed now; you're still going out there!" Judy huffed, before going to grab the dress.

"Judy! Don't speak to my daughter like that!" Tony stood from his chair, before puffing out his chest a little, not liking someone insulting his precious little girl.

Judy froze, before her body slumped a little.

"You mean _our_ daughter?" She said quietly.

Tony cleared his throat, realising his mistake.

"Well, the way you are treating her right now, you wouldn't have thought so Judy. I'm going to sit in the audience. If I see my daughter up there, I will be sad, knowing you've made her and if I don't I will be proud," Tony said intently, before walking out of the dressing room, giving his daughter's shoulder a quick squeeze on the way out and flashing Rachel a friendly smile.

The usual silence fell upon the three ladies. Rachel felt a little out of place, but wanted to be here for her friend, since Tony wasn't here anymore to defend Quinn.

"Put on your dress," Judy said, barely above a whisper, wiping a small tear from the corner of her eye.

"You didn't hear what dad just said?" Quinn reminded her.

"I did, but you're still going up there. I want to win this pageant," Judy replied, before passing the red dress to Quinn.

Quinn couldn't believe it. This wasn't meant to happen. She would still be going out onto the stage of the pageant and have all the fake people watch her and judge her looks. At least, hopefully, the judges wouldn't like her, so therefore she wouldn't win and go on to the finals. They say that things happen for a reason, but Quinn couldn't think of a reason as to why this was happening.

"I don't want to," Quinn was beginning to protest, before Judy interrupted her.

"Put on the damn dress!" Judy shouted a little loud, before flinching at her own volume and storming out of the room, heading towards the audience, to take her seat.

Quinn stood still, her back still facing Rachel and letting the dress fall to the floor and letting her mom's stubborn words echo throughout her hurt body.

Rachel stroked Quinn's back, before silently moving around so that she was standing in front of the blonde. Grabbing both of Quinn's hands, she started to speak.

"Don't worry Quinn, she doesn't control you. You have control, I know you are strong," Rachel whispered.

Quinn let Rachel's voice calm her heart and before she could help herself, she burst into tears and collapsed into the secure arms of the smaller girl. Tucking her head into Rachel's neck, she let all her pain and frustration out through tears, completely thanking the lord for letting her have Rachel as a friend.

As Quinn had fallen into her arms, Rachel had reacted quickly. Letting Quinn cry out the tears, she just held her securely between her arms, rubbing small circles over the blondes back, every so often, whispering words of encouragement and wisdom into the ears of Quinn.

Quinn felt so at home being this close to Rachel, breathing in her scent and feeling the warmth that penetrated through Rachel's clothes. Quinn was revelling in the feeling of being held, but couldn't help the feelings of excitement run through her body from being this close to Rachel.

Sniffling out her final tears, Quinn slowly and unwilling pulled herself off Rachel and sniffed back the tears that still wanted to fall. Wiping her soft hands over her eyes, she finally spoke up.

"Thank you Rachel," she said shyly.

Rachel just stroked the side of Quinn's face, feeling the need to take all the pain away from Quinn.

"No need to thank me, I am glad I could help," Rachel smiled, pulling her hand away.

Standing merely inches apart, the two girls stared intently into the eyes of the other. Quinn had always thought that eyes were fascinating. It was like the keyhole to someone's sole. The eyes say what the mouth can't say, they see what the ears can't hear and they sometimes ignore what the heart wants to feel. As Rachel soaked in hazel orbs and Quinn relished in the feeling of seeing the true Rachel behind the eyes, there was a faint knock on the door that interrupted them.

"Quinn Fabray? You're on in fifteen minutes," the red headed woman said from the door.

Quinn stepped back from Rachel a little and nodded at the woman.

"Thank you," she smiled.

The red head then walked down the corridor, knocking on the next door. Quinn rolled her eyes and hung her head a little, knowing she would have to make a decision of what to do.

Rachel could sense Quinn was thinking hard, so decided to make her own plan of what to do.

"Quinn, I'm going to sit in the audience okay. So if you decide to go out there, I will be there to watch you and if after five minutes you don't come out, I will come backstage again and I can drive you home," Rachel smiled, before giving Quinn a quick hug and walking towards the door.

As Rachel was about to leave, she looked over her shoulder, to see Quinn contemplating on what to do, while looking at her.

"You'll know what to do Quinn. Listen to your heart," Rachel smiled, before walking towards the audience and finding herself a seat near the back.

When Rachel had left, Quinn let her heart flutter away. If Quinn listened to her heart then she would be in a very big predicament right now. Making her decision, she ruffled up her hair a little, smoothed down her hoody and tightened her converse laces, before taking a drink of water and preparing to walk out on stage.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Rachel took the seat next to Tony near the back, Judy positioned herself right in the middle at the front. Rachel was nervous as to what Quinn would decide to do. She wanted her best friend to choose the right thing. Jogging her right leg up and down on the spot as she nibbled her lip, Tony leaned in closer to her.

"If you don't stop doing that, your right leg will be more muscular than the left one," he laughed light-heartedly.

Rachel noticed that she had been doing it unconsciously and stopped, before turning to face Tony and smiling at the likeness of him and Quinn. She hadn't properly looked at Tony before, in detail. Tony looked masculine and had obviously had a stressful job as he had small rings around his eyes, but they weren't ugly, they added to his look. His deep hazel eyes looked as friendly as Quinn's but with added wisdom, almost as though he had lived his life and experienced many a thing. Grey strands of hair poked through the dyed brown strands and gave it a look of rustiness. As Rachel faced him, she could smell his odour of aftershave. It wasn't strong but it did awaken your senses.

"Sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself, I'm Rachel Berry," she smiled as she outstretched her hand.

Tony took in gently in his and shook it firmly, before pulling back.

"Quinn has said a lot about you, you seem like a good friend," Tony smiled nicely.

Rachel looked away at the mention of Quinn's name. She tried to hide the blush and heat that travelled to her face when she thought about Quinn talking to her dad about her.

"She has?" Rachel asked shyly.

"Yep, sometimes we have evening chats. She seems very fond of you and the secret garden," Tony winked.

Rachel grinned when the secret garden was mentioned. She liked Tony, she liked him a lot. Now she knew where Quinn got her kindness and charm from; her father.

"I love that place too," Rachel smiled off into the distance, before the speakers boomed over their conversation and made both Tony and Rachel jump at the sound.

As the light faded and the spotlight shone onto the stage, a voice shouted over the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lima Model of the Year 2011! We are so glad you could make it and we are happy that every one of our candidates has turned up this year! We love you all so much. Right, on with the show! Everyone looks absolutely gorgeous tonight, so just sit back and enjoy the show!"

Quinn could hear everything from her dressing room and wanted to gag at the whole pageant, could it be any faker? Her cue was nearly coming up and she started to feel a little sick with nerves, but knew that she wanted to do this; she had to do this.

Out front, Rachel was watching the first candidate do their performance on stage, which consisted of walking down the cat walk, turning and pouting before strutting back up. Rachel didn't see the appeal in any of it. These girls didn't look beautiful, they looked plastic. Quinn was beautiful in Rachel's mind, but she didn't want to see Quinn dressed up like these girls, as Rachel felt that it would hide Quinn's true beauty.

"Okay, give a round of applause to Samantha Hope! Thank you. Wasn't she beautiful? Ah, so lovely. She also wanted to reply to all the rumours that she had had a boob job since last year and says it's not true; her boobs just have grown a considerable amount. Okay, on with the next candidate, put your hands together for Quinn Fabray!"

As the audience did what was required of them and started clapping, no one appeared for a couple of minutes and Rachel could see Judy become more aggravated, perching on the edge of her seat, looking around the stage. Rachel was relieved that Quinn had decided not to do it, but was also worried as to the way Judy was going to treat her after. Rachel was put to ease though, as Tony patted her knee and smiled towards her. Knowing immediately that she didn't have to worry anymore, as she knew Tony would be there to protect Quinn.

"Quinn Fabray everybody!"

Everyone's heads immediately turned back to the stage as a casually dressed Quinn walked on the stage and stopped half way along the cat walk, before waving to some of the people in the audience.

Judy looked on in shock and disappointment. Shrinking down in her seat a little, she just covered her head with her hands and let the tears fall. She had completely lost her daughter now; it was all her fault.

There were gasps and some people even jeered towards Quinn for coming out in clothes like that.

"That's not a dress, get off the stage!"

"I could look like that, this is a beauty pageant!"

Rachel hated the way people were speaking to Quinn, she didn't deserve it. She was about to speak up and defend Quinn, when she was stopped by the girl herself.

"Hello, hello, is this on?" Quinn looked over to the technology man, who just held up two thumbs.

Gripping the microphone a little tighter, Quinn began to say what she needed to say.

"Okay, hi, I'm Quinn Fabray as you know," she started and looked into the crowd to see her dad and Rachel both giving her two bright smiles and encouraging her on.

"I know you are all shocked to see me in these clothes, as it is not a dress and they are pretty basic. But I am comfortable and they flatter my figure," she took a pause to take a deep breath.

"People have always said to me through out my life that I was beautiful, that I had a talent. I appreciated these compliments and took them on board, but not once in my life did I ever feel the need to change how I looked or change the way I acted because of my beauty. Here, today, these girls backstage all started to act differently as soon as they started getting ready, they all coated their impeccable faces in layers of foundation and make up, covering their _true _beauty. They then got dressed into outfits that made them look like they couldn't breathe, before strutting down a cat walk to be judged by people who don't know them at all. As soon as someone makes a mean comment about their looks when they are on the cat walk, do you what the first thing is they do when they get backstage? They go and cry. They cry because they feel they have nothing anymore. Girls at my school have so much pressure on them to look nice, to look like everyone else and to look _beautiful._ What I am trying to say is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you brought all those girls out from behind the stage, you would see they all look practically the same; make up, high heels, ridiculous looking dresses, straightened hair and fake smiles. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but if you took of the masks of make up they put on, I can assure you that they would look ten times more beautiful. You would see the real them, their real beauty. I don't even get beauty, on the basis that it comes from within. Someone's personality can make them beautiful. Looks shouldn't matter and these _beauty _pageants make me mad, because most of those girls backstage don't want to do this. They do it because they feel their looks are the only good thing about them. I know for fact that each and every one of those girls has an amazing talent behind them, which don't have anything to do with their looks. Okay, Samantha? She loves to dance. One pageant last year, backstage, she did some break dancing for us at an after party and I've seen nothing like it in my life, she was incredible. Louise? She can play the trombone likes nobody's business; she is just a natural at it. I am sorry for taking your time, but I just want to get that out there. I know what true beauty is, I've seen it," Quinn started to end her speech, and her eyes found their way to the brunette sitting at the back, watching with intensity.

"I know what it is and yes, true beauty can be on the outside, without make up or fake smiles. It is when someone laughs, or they smile until it meets their eyes. It's when someone sings or when someone dances. But it also comes from within, from their words, their stories, their life, their personality. I just don't think true beauty can be summed up in a small walk down a cat walk. A real beauty pageant would be an event which showcased people's true passions and true personalities. It's not what is on the outside that counts; it's what's on the inside," Quinn finished with a simple gesture, "thank you."

Quinn turned off her microphone and smiled through a couple of tears to her friend and father in the audience, before her teary eyes moved down and landed on her mother.

Judy had listened to every single word her daughter had said; for the first time in her life. This wasn't her daughter, this was her true daughter. She saw her real daughter; the one that she just decided to paint a cover over for years.

The whole audience was silent. As Quinn scanned the audience, she saw some faces with smiles on, real smiles, some with grimaces and some which were angry. But the one face she couldn't take her eyes off, was Rachel's. Rachel had her hands clasped in front of her face as she grinned, while the happy tears fell freely down her cheeks.

Quinn turned around and started to head off the stage, when the only sound to break through the silence, was the sound of one single person starting to clap.

The clapping started off quiet and slow, but then she heard the squeak of a chair and the clapping was full on fast and loud.

Quinn smiled to herself that someone finally agreed with her point of view.

Turning back round on her heel to see the person who was clapping, she dropped the microphone when she saw who it was.

Judy Fabray; her mom.

Standing alone, in the front row, Judy was clapping, while tears streamed down her powdered face.

Quinn started to sob a little, whilst smiling in her mom's general direction.

As Quinn was wiping her tears, another person from the audience started to clap, then another, then another, then Rachel, then Tony, then another. After a couple of minutes, the whole audience, bar three or four, were on their feet clapping Quinn for announcing the true meaning of beauty.

Quinn just grinned towards the audience, before mouthing 'thank you' and making her way backstage.

Rachel couldn't be happier than at this moment in time. Tony couldn't be more proud than at this moment in time. And Judy couldn't be more regretful than at this moment in time.

Quinn ran straight into her dressing room and quickly looked at her trusty watch, before quickly sending a text and changing her outfit into the bright coloured clothes she has brought with her.

Rachel was sitting happily in the audience, chatting mindlessly with Tony, when she felt her phone go off.

"Excuse me, I'll just check this," she said politely to Tony, as she looked down at her phone.

**Come to the dressing room now. We've got to get to Brittany's charity run! Q**

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, as she looked at the time on her phone. It was already 1pm and they had to get ready and drive all the way to the sports field, which was about a 40 minute drive away.

Putting her phone into her pocket, she turned to Tony and said her goodbyes.

"Mr Fabray, Quinn and I are going to go to Brittany's charity run now. I am driving us there. We won't be back late, but just let Judy know where we've gone," Rachel smiled at the older man.

"Rachel, call me Tony. I will certainly let Judy know where you've gone," Tony smiled back, before watching the loyal friend of his daughters run to the dressing rooms.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	6. Chapter 6

**N/A **Once again, thank you for the reviews, always makes me happy to see you lovely readers reporting back! :) Sadly, I am going back to Sixth Form on tomorrow (Monday), so it is highly likely that I will only be updating maybe once a week? It is sad, as writing for you guys is really fun. Trust me, if I didn't have to go back to Sixth Form, I would be writing for you lot everyday! Haha :) Also, there isn't any of the 'Secret Garden' in this chapter, but there will be plenty more of it to come! :)

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Okay, so we've got everything we need right?" Rachel asked worryingly as she packed her bag into the trunk, before walking round and getting in the drivers seat.<p>

Quinn had been sat in the passenger's seat for five minutes, as Rachel was rummaging in the trunk. With her head on her hands, she waited patiently while Rachel went back into the pageant to use the toilet. Rachel was nervous in case she needed the loo on the drive there.

Finally, when Rachel had finished in the trunk, Quinn was relieved as Rachel got into the drivers seat, ready to go.

"We have everything Rach, it's not like we're going on holiday," Quinn laughed.

Rachel turned to face her and gave her a stern look, but Quinn knew she was only messing around, she hoped.

"We need a first aid kit in case one of us has a fall while running, two water bottles in case one runs out and we die of dehydration and we need tissues in case one of us needs to pee in the bushes on the run," Rachel explained, before shoving her chin in the air and huffing audibly.

Quinn tried to muffle the giggles with her hand. Even though Rachel was apparently introducing the new her, she still had some layers of the Broadway star, which would seep through every now and again.

"Okay, well can we go now we have all the specific survival kits in place?" Quinn jibed light-heartedly before continuing, "also, why didn't you just get dressed with me in the dressing room, that way you wouldn't have to get dressed when we get there?"

"Um, I didn't want to sit in my costume for the whole ride, it would have been uncomfortable," Rachel smiled putting her car into drive, slowly pulling out of the car park and beginning their journey.

About one minute into the drive, Rachel slammed on the breaks, which caused Quinn to fall forward, but luckily she stopped herself with her sturdy hands. Shuffling back into her seat, she looked around the road, panicked at what had just happened.

Seeing nothing but empty road, Quinn quickly looked at Rachel, who was simple staring ahead and shaking her head.

"What the hell happened?" Quinn said, still a little shaken.

"That's what you get for not putting on your seatbelt Quinn," Rachel deadpanned, as she slowly began pulling off again.

"You could have just asked me to put it on, rather than nearly killing me," Quinn nervously chuckled, before hastily pulling on her seatbelt and sitting straight in her seat, watching the road with wide eyes.

"I like to prove a point," Rachel grinned mischievously.

"Uh huh," Quinn quickly nodded, not wanting to provoke another break attack.

Another comfortable twenty minutes passed without a word being said. Quinn was gazing out of the window, watching the world pass by, wondering to herself that out there, there were millions of other people that she will never meet, with their stories she will never hear and their faces that she will never see. The world really intrigued her and fascinated her deeply. If only she could see everything and everyone, taking a picture of them all and collecting all the memories possible.

As Rachel was thinking about how she was going to write her next story, the car started to bunny hop down the road.

Stepping on the break hard, the car gave out some worrying noises, before spluttering out of the exhaust and bringing the car to a sudden halt at the side of the long and deserted road.

"Thank god for my seatbelt," Quinn laughed into the silence.

Rachel didn't join in, which told Quinn that it wasn't time for joking.

"Sorry, um, what has actually happened?" Quinn said in a more serious tone.

Rachel looked defeated. Checking over her dashboard, she tried to ignite the engine. No noise, no movement, nothing. She tried for a second time, but nothing stirred in the engine. They say it's third time lucky, but obviously not for Rachel.

"Not again," Rachel whined, before hitting lightly on the steering wheel.

"Again?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah, this happens quite a lot," Rachel sighed, turning to Quinn.

Quinn was staring at her like she was a little bit stupid.

"And you didn't think of telling me that _before _we started driving a fairly long journey," Quinn laughed, easing the tension.

"I didn't think it would happen I guess," Rachel shrugged.

Quinn looked around the car, before thinking of yet another plan. Seeing Rachel so defeated made Quinn sad and she was determined to repair that smile.

"Okay, pop your hood," Quinn said, while opening her door.

"Ooh, I say," Rachel laughed.

This sudden use of flirtatious banter was new to Quinn. She does it all the time with her other friends, but for some reason, as it fell from Rachel's mouth, it made Quinn excited. The way Rachel's voice said the words just did something to Quinn; something that doesn't happen to friends. Letting the goose bumps die down, she finally looked over her shoulder.

"That wasn't meant to sound as dirty as it did," Quinn quickly winked, before hopping out in her bright coloured outfit and walking around the front of Rachel's car.

Rachel was internally shocked but relieved when Quinn returned the banter. Rachel didn't know where her sudden outburst of banter came from, but what she did know was that she liked the feeling that came with it.

Flicking the switch of her hood, she got out of the car to join Quinn at the hood.

Putting the hood up, Quinn bent down and scanned around the engine. "What the hell am I doing? I don't know my way around an engine," Quinn thought to herself.

Touching some sort of box in the engine, Quinn pretended to muse to herself, looking for a solution. She could feel Rachel's expectant eyes on her and suddenly she realised that maybe she shouldn't be trying to impress her, as this could go terribly wrong.

Rachel started to fidget on the spot, so Quinn knew that she had to either suddenly fix a car, which she couldn't see herself doing, or just say the car was dead.

Quinn pretended to look over the engine one more time, letting her hands hover over certain areas, before Rachel spoke up.

"I never knew you were good with cars," Rachel grinned from behind her.

Quinn could hear the smile in Rachel's voice and started to feel very smug and confident again. She didn't know what was coming into her, but suddenly making Rachel happy was the one thing on her mind. What is happy? It could be flirty, but at this moment in time, Quinn couldn't care less which one it was.

"Yeah, well, you know, I know the basics," Quinn nodded.

Reaching to touch an object at the back, Quinn knew it was the wrong decision as soon as her skin suddenly felt the burn.

"Holy shit!" Quinn shrieked as she pulled her hand back and started jumping up and down and sucking her fingers.

Rachel was startled when Quinn jumped and was now jumping up and down with Quinn, squealing herself.

"Why are we jumping up and down?" Rachel squeaked.

Quinn stopped immediately but carried on sucking her index and middle fingers on her left hand.

"I don't know why you are jumping up and down, but I was because I just burnt my fingers," Quinn laughed.

Rachel stopped at an instant, moving closer to Quinn and fussing over her hand.

Quinn took the sudden intrusion of personal space very well. Letting Rachel fuss and blow over her injured hand would become one of her new favourite hobbies.

"Oh my god! Sorry, I didn't realise, I thought it was some warm up we had to do to fix the engine," Rachel was blowing on Quinn's fingers, helping to heal the burn.

"And you passed Mechanics, how?" Quinn burst into laughter.

As Rachel slightly slapped Quinn's shoulder, she suddenly remembered.

"Hey! I have my first aid kit! See, told you it would come in useful," Rachel winked, before confidently walking around to the trunk to receive her much needed band aids.

Quinn rolled her eyes at her friend, knowing all too well that she was not going to live this down.

As Rachel came back, she started to wrap Quinn's fingers in cupcakes shaped band aids.

"So miss-I-know-all-about-cars, how do you suppose we get there?" Rachel giggled.

"I said I know the _basics_," Quinn reminded her, before continuing, "I guess we are going to have to run there, plus it's only like another five minutes there."

Rachel thought about it for a minute. Quinn was right, it was only another five minutes by car, which only meant ten minutes by fast foot. Finishing off with the band aids, Rachel started to pack her first aid kit away.

"Okay, well you're going to have to shield me, while I quickly get into my outfit," Rachel stated, before going back round to the trunk.

Quinn instantly cringed, knowing how the last time Rachel was in a bra went, she was a little nervous for it to happen again.

"Quinn?" Rachel shouted from behind the car.

Jogging round to the trunk, Rachel held up the towel that they had cut Quinn's hair on and passed it to Quinn.

"Stand there and hold this up," Rachel ordered, before she opened the front car door and the back car door, making a little changing room for herself.

Quinn stood patiently in front of the gap between the two car doors, holding the towel up and diverting her gaze onto anything but Rachel's half nude body.

Luckily, there were no cars coming down the road at this time of day, mainly because it was quite an empty round anyway; one of those roads which you really wouldn't want to be on at night.

"Ready!" Rachel pulled the towel away, before chucking everything she didn't need into the trunk.

Quinn looked over Rachel's simple outfit. Rachel was wearing a bright pink t-shirt and some orange cropped jeans, with some bright blue trainers, much like Quinn's outfit, just different colours.

"Why would that be uncomfortable to drive in? You should have just got dressed in my dressing room, it would have saved getting dressed on the side of the road," Quinn laughed.

Rachel blushed a little, but tried to hide it by ducking her head. Quickly looking at her watch, she was shocked by the time and happy to be able to change the subject onto something else.

"Crap! We've only got fifteen minutes to get there," Rachel panicked.

Quinn let the fact that Rachel didn't answer her simple question slide over her.

Looking down the road, Quinn smiled. She loved running, letting the wind run through your hair, feeling the earth beneath your feet and going anywhere you desire, what more was there to like?

"Well," she grinned, "we better get running then."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The sports field was packed. Groups of young children all in fancy dress, with their colourful mom's warming up and chatting about their new kitchen utensils they had just bought. Old men, wearing their old athletic gear, getting ready to power walk the distance; too old to run it now. And there were lots of families, who were just happy to be there for Brittany.

Over in the corner of the sports field, near the microphone stand, stood Santana, Brittany, Bianca and Bianca's friend, Megan. Megan was in Bianca's year at school and was a cheerleader. Blonde hair and bright green eyes made her stand out and become one of the most popular girls in school. Except looks weren't everything, as Megan seemed to not care about popularity much, as she would prefer to hang out with Bianca any day. Bianca loved having her as a best friend, but found it hard to like her at school when Megan would instantly start ignoring her if the jocks and cheerleaders were ever around.

As Bianca and Megan did star jumps, preparing their muscles for the run, Santana was chatting to Brittany.

"Look at the turn out Britts, I'm so happy for you," Santana smiled, before leaning in and giving her girlfriend a chaste kiss on the lips.

As Brittany returned the gesture, it wasn't long before they were getting into a deep making out session.

As Bianca just ignored it, immune to having to watch it, Megan stopped suddenly before getting the attention of the two hormonal-crazed girls.

"Hey! Not everyone wants to see two girls making out, thanks," Megan said harshly, before walking away from them and finding a new spot to warm up in.

Bianca followed Megan, after apologising to her big sister, who was ready to go all Lima Heights on the little blonde.

Catching up with Megan, Bianca started to ask her something nervously.

"So, you don't like my sister being gay?" Bianca joined in with doing some stretching.

"Well, you know, I'm not totally for it, kind of creeps me out, but I don't care what they do, just not in public you know," Megan explained.

"Creeps you out?" Bianca was interested into what Megan thought about gays.

"Yeah, like, I don't know, two girls, it just doesn't seem right, but oh well, maybe it's just because I've never liked a girl, so I wouldn't know," Megan laughed before jumping again.

Bianca took in each word and felt a little defeated about the way Megan talked about gays; she wasn't used to someone who didn't support being gay.

Across the other side of the field, a bright red and exhausted pair of girls sprinted on to the field, immediately being spotted by Santana and Brittany, who made their way over to them.

"Rachel! Quinn! I'm so glad you came, but you were cutting it fine. I didn't think you were going to come because of the pageant," Brittany said quickly, happy to be surrounded by the people she loved.

Catching her breath, Quinn hugged Brittany tightly before pulling back to explain.

"Long story cut short; I wouldn't miss this for the world. I stood up to my mom at the pageant and let's just say, I don't think she will be making me do them anymore. Rachel was then driving us here, but her car broke down and we then ran the rest of the way, hence why we are out of breath," Quinn bent down to her knees to let the blood circulate her aching body.

"Oh, I just thought that you two must have just had mind blowing sex, _hence_ why you are out of breath," Santana laughed wickedly to herself, before being smacked around the arm by her girlfriend.

"What? It was a joke," Santana defended herself.

Quinn was staring at Santana wide eyed, as the blood crept back up to her cheeks, while Rachel was diverting everyone's gaze and trying to control the adrenaline that was running wildly around her body.

"_Anyway_, congratulations for sticking up for your mom and sorry about the car Rachel," Brittany said sympathetically.

Rachel looked at Quinn, before smirking.

"Well, _someone _said they knew how to fix it, but ended up burning their fingers," Rachel laughed.

"No, I never said that I could actually fix it," Quinn said back.

"You insinuated you could," Rachel said defiantly.

"Well, you shouldn't presume something, unless you know the actual truth," Quinn ended with a nod of the head.

Rachel was pondering of what to say back, before Brittany interrupted.

"Sorry to break up this little argument, but we are ready to set off in about two minutes guys," she smiled, before running back over to the microphone stand to make the announcement.

Rachel stood next to Quinn, watching Brittany speak about the charity run with the microphone, before she lent in and whispered into Quinn's ear, exciting both of them for no reason.

"You so said you could fix it," she wanted to have the last word.

Quinn laughed, causing Santana to turn around and 'shush' both of them.

Quinn lent back over to Rachel, this time closer, making the excuse that it was because that way Santana wouldn't hear them, but really just wanting to be closer to the brunette.

"I didn't, but I'm taking that as I challenge," she said huskily.

Shivering, Rachel lent into Quinn.

"Fine, in one month, you've got to be able to fix an engine, my engine," Rachel whispered, almost making the last two words deeper than the rest, enjoying the sensations of feeling confident.

Quinn could swear that Rachel's voice was making her body react in ways she didn't think was possible.

As everyone started clapping loudly at Brittany's speech, Quinn shouted to Rachel above the applause.

"Challenge accepted!" she grinned.

BANG.

With the shot of a gun, everyone was off, running for a good cause, on a good day, with good people. Santana had immediately found Brittany and they went sprinting off in front of everyone else, what with being cheerleaders. Bianca and Megan were just in front of Rachel and Quinn, plodding along at a fairly fast speed, enjoying the company of each other.

As it was coming up to three kilometres, everyone, including Brittany and Santana had slowed down just a little bit. Quinn was finding the run very relaxing, if she tried to ignore the pains in her calves, regretting having to run here as well. Rachel was taking in the fresh air and observing the green grass that surrounded everybody.

Quinn and Rachel were mindlessly looking around when their intrigued eyes landed upon Bianca talking to her friend, Megan. Quinn has always been very talented at reading people's body language, or figuring out what people were trying to say, just by how they were acting. At the moment, Quinn's eyebrows were furrowing, trying to understand the attitude that Bianca was showing, sensing deep within that something wasn't right. Rachel's mind was also working on overload; Bianca didn't look happy. Megan was running casually, looking around and chatting with Bianca when she felt like it, but Bianca looked stiff and uncomfortable and each time Megan would talk to her, she would just laugh and not really talk back.

Quinn turned her head to look at Rachel, while continuing to jog on.

"Hey Rach, do you feel as though something is up with Bianca today?" Quinn asked.

Rachel didn't turn her head, from the fear of tripping over and cutting open her knee, so instead replied, but carried on facing forward.

"I was literally just thinking about that. Yeah, she looks rather uncomfortable," Rachel replied.

Silence fell upon the two as they thought about the best reason as to why Bianca could be acting this way.

"Ooh! Maybe she needs a pee! She can use my tissues," Rachel clapped her hands, before nearly tripping and quickly recomposing her posture and taking every step more carefully.

Quinn just shook her head at her friend's cuteness, before speaking up.

"I don't think that's it Rachel, but nice try. Should we talk to her?" Quinn said, wanting to be there for Bianca.

"Sure, but I don't know her that well, so you can do most of the talking," Rachel smiled, while laughing.

"Okay, let's go," Quinn nodded.

Sprinting to catch up with Megan and Bianca, Rachel jogged just behind, while Quinn started to jog next to the two young girls.

"Hey Bianca," Quinn grinned.

The young brunette jumped at the sound, realising she had been in a daze for longer than she had anticipated. Glancing over to look at Megan, she started to smile at her friend, before turning back to Quinn to greet her.

"Hi Quinn," she spoke quietly.

Quinn noticed she didn't speak as loudly as she normally does.

"Enjoying the run?" Quinn tried making small talk.

"Yeah, it's okay," Bianca smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"It's actually kind of boring, thought it would be more fun," Megan interrupted from her spot next to Bianca, running boisterously and confidently.

Rachel could hear the conversation from her spot behind the group of three and was shocked by Megan's rudeness.

"Excuse me, but this is a run for Brittany's mom," Quinn defended the cause.

"Whatever, just saying," Megan waved Quinn off.

Quinn's face was a picture. She couldn't understand how someone could be so rude and disrespectful.

They jogged along in silence for the second to last kilometre. Rachel was still watching Megan and Bianca from behind, while Quinn was musing how to get Bianca to open up to her, without Megan interrupting them, or just generally being there.

"Guys, I need to stop a second, I need to pull my socks up," Megan whined.

The four slowed down and stood to the side of the path, letting the other runners move along.

As Megan went to balance, she placed her hand on Bianca's shoulder, before bending down and pulling her sock up with her right hand, while her left was squeezing hold of the little brunette's shoulder.

Feeling the pressure on her shoulder, Bianca flinched and started to feel a little nervous and was well aware of how close Megan was standing.

Rachel took note of Bianca's behaviour and bared it in mind, as did Quinn.

Letting go of Bianca's shoulder, Megan started to do a couple of star jumps before speaking up over the unusually quiet three.

"Right, ready to go again," Megan said bluntly.

"Actually, we need to speak to Bianca, you can go on," Quinn smiled, before waving Megan off, just as the little blonde had done to Quinn earlier.

Bianca was confused to say the least. Megan just said a little "whatever" before jogging off with some random group of people.

Rachel moved to stand opposite Quinn and next to Bianca, before looking over to Quinn, who simply nodded in an unspoken agreement.

"Bianca," Rachel began, putting a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, "what's going on?"

"Um, we have stopped running and now you both are being incredibly suspicious?" Bianca gave an uneasy smile.

Quinn smiled back, before taking over the talking, as Rachel let go of Bianca's shoulder and just stood next to said girl, happy to be here for her.

"Good try. You don't think I can see when someone isn't comfortable in someone else's company?" Quinn said lightly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bianca diverted her gaze away from the blonde.

Quinn worked out the best way to approach the subject, without making Bianca close up.

"Bianca, that Megan girl, is she bullying you?" Quinn said softly.

Bianca looked up into Quinn's eyes, seeing complete honesty and comfort.

"No, no, she's not," Bianca sighed.

"So, what's going on? I care about you Bianca," Quinn urged the girl on, with care.

"I... I… don't know… I don't know," Bianca shook her head.

Rachel could sense the girl becoming upset and took it upon her responsibility to comfort the young brunette, so instead of making her uncomfortable, she just rubbed a couple of circles on her back, before removing her hand again.

"Don't worry Bianca, if you think it's something embarrassing, bad, cringey, anything, I am sure that either myself or Rachel have at least experienced some of it," Quinn smiled, trying to ease the situation for Bianca.

"I don't know about that," Bianca uneasily laughed.

Quinn looked to Rachel for some help and all the brunette did was smile encouragingly, but that's all Quinn needed.

"If you say what the thing is that is obviously troubling your mind, we can help, we might not be able to solve it, but we can help," Quinn smiled.

Bianca shuffled on her feet, before turning to look at Rachel, then back to look at Quinn. Holding eye contact, she prepared herself to say her deepest secret to two girls she now trusted deeply.

"Have you ever felt like you could be falling for someone?" Bianca said embarrassingly.

Quinn looked to Rachel, who was staring at the floor, looking a little too red, before back to Bianca and answering truthfully.

"Yes," she said simply, at which Rachel's head shot up and studied the blonde's subtle face.

"But they aren't necessarily someone you should like?" Bianca tried to tell them without actually having to say it.

Once again, the two older girls looked at each other, but this time Rachel's brown orbs searched Quinn's face, seeing blushes on the cheeks and the blonde's hands were nervously rubbing each other in front of her. Rachel answered Bianca's question this time, not realising the desperation in her voice.

"Yes," Rachel said quietly, to which Quinn's head came up a little, but still stared at the floor.

"I am just going to have to say it, I think I like my friend," Bianca quickly choked out, before looking anywhere but at the two girls.

Silence fell upon them. Quinn wasn't expecting that answer and neither was Rachel by the look on her face.

"Guys?" Bianca nervously spoke up.

Quinn shook her head from all the mixed thought processes that were swirling around and put the little brunette at ease.

"Bianca, you shouldn't be keeping this inside, it's perfectly normal to feel this way," Quinn nodded.

"She's straight," Bianca simply said.

"Oh," Quinn nibbled her lip, "do you know that for sure?"

"Yes and she's homophobic," Bianca rolled her eyes, feeling her emotions rise to the surface once again.

"I'm guessing it's Megan then?" Rachel said calmly.

Bianca slowly nodded, before bursting out into tears, to which Rachel sprung into action, huddling the vulnerable girl into her open arms and letting her cry out the frustration.

Quinn watched on, amazed by Rachel's support. Rachel seemed to be there for everyone, always knowing the right time to step in.

After Bianca gave Rachel one last hug, she wiped her eyes and prepared to explain it further to the older, more experienced girls, hoping that they can at least give her some advice.

"Why do I have to like her? She treats me terribly, she's mean to everyone, she's thinks she's god's creation and she is basically a total bitch, but I can't go a day without thinking about her, wanting to be there for her and wanting to be near her. It's so frustrating," Bianca huffed.

Quinn looked around, seeing that nearly everyone had passed them, but this was more important than the run, they can finish running a little bit later.

"I'm afraid to say that life can be a bitch sometimes. Your body is obviously attracted to her, whether your mind is or not. So, you think you're gay?" Quinn needed some answers to be able to give her advice.

"I don't like labels. I don't think we need them. I believe that I am human-sexual, I think that both sexes are beautiful in there own way. I have been attracted to guys in the past and now Megan, so I don't know. You're gay Quinn, how did you first know?" Bianca asked back.

Quinn was a little caught off guard with the personal question.

"Umm, well, I'm not sure really," Quinn started off.

Rachel was intrigued by Bianca's question, wanting to know the answer as well, as they had never really talked about Quinn's sexuality, as they didn't feel the need; Rachel still saw her as the same person as she was before she became gay.

"If I am being honest with you, I have no idea. I have liked umm," Quinn stuttered, looking briefly at Rachel before clearing her throat, "I have liked girls for a long time. I find them beautiful, sensitive, clever and understanding. I just prefer being with them than guys."

"You've been with a girl?" Rachel said quickly, before slamming her mouth shut, realising that her question sounded far too desperate.

Quinn studied her friend, before suddenly becoming very embarrassed, not knowing whether Rachel would have a problem with it. She chose to be honest with Rachel, rather than saying something that she thought Rachel would want to hear.

"Yes, well, it was more of a summer fling. A girl called Lea. I met her when I went with my mom and dad on a holiday in Paris. It only lasted the two weeks we were there, but that's when I realised I definitely preferred girls," Quinn finished quickly, feeling hot under Rachel's intense gaze.

"It sounds nice Quinn, I'm happy for you," Rachel smiled, but Quinn couldn't help but feel like there was an underlying sense of something else, but couldn't pin point what.

"It does sound nice," Bianca smiled as well.

"Yeah, it was nice. Anyway, this isn't solving anything for you. So, I'm thinking, well, what I've always been told, is that you should be open with the person and tell them how you feel," Quinn shrugged.

"But I know she's straight and she isn't going to like me back, not that I'm expecting her too," Bianca said, defeated.

"Well, say it in a casual and subtle way," Quinn reassured.

"Like what?" Bianca asked, needing answers.

Quinn looked to Rachel, who was staring just as much at the blonde. Quinn replied to Bianca but carried on with her eye contact with Rachel.

"Tell her how you feel, but say it in a way that's not going to hurt her or annoy her. If she doesn't like what you've said, apologise and say that nothing has to happen. You only want her to be happy and live the life she has been given. You tell her that you can't stop thinking about her, no matter how hard you try. You go crazy every time she touches your arm, or brushes past you in school. If she doesn't take it well, you can have a break from her, but she will always be your friend, it's what they're there for," Quinn finished, with a tear in her eye and butterflies in her heart.

Rachel was on cloud nine; and so was her heart. Everything Quinn had said ran through Rachel like wild fire. It ignited those thoughts and panged her heart. Wiping the stray tear that had unknowingly fallen down her cheek, she spoke up to Bianca.

"Yeah, something like that," Rachel began, before subtly turning her head and continued to speak to Bianca, but caught Quinn's eye, "if you definitely think that Megan is straight, you might be surprised, you don't know what the other girl is feeling. Just because she has never been with a girl, doesn't mean that she hasn't had feelings internally for one."

Quinn's heart and mind were a mess. What was happening? Quinn started to understand what her thoughts and heart were telling her, but didn't know whether she could trust her feelings.

"Wow guys, that was deep," Bianca finally spoke up, cutting both the other girls from their states of complete confusion and passion.

"Well, it's a start," Quinn looked to Bianca, before smiling.

"I'm not sure if I will tell her, she's not one to keep her mouth shut," Bianca laughed nervously.

"Well, it's up to you at the end of the day," Quinn reassuringly shrugged, "but at least now you've got the pressure off your shoulders, you know you are not alone and you can come to me anytime, as I feel as though I can understand."

"And me, you can come to me anytime, I know more advice than people realise," Rachel smiled at Bianca, before flashing a quick deep glance at Quinn.

"Thanks guys," Bianca smiled, "I'm not sure if I will tell her or see if my feelings die down, but whatever I do I am sure to take your advice."

Quinn and Rachel both smiled in return.

As Bianca looked around, it now dawned on her that no one else was running; everyone had already passed them a while ago.

"We might want to get running," Bianca laughed, feeling that she now has two more good friends.

Quinn looked down the path and saw no one in the distance.

"We only have one kilometre to go," Quinn began to edge away down the path, with a mischievous grin on her face, "I say we race!"

And with that, Quinn was sprinting down the path, leaving a shocked Rachel and an amused Bianca.

"I think we should maybe just take it slowly," Bianca cheekily grinned, slowly and subtly edging down the path, watching Rachel nod in agreement, "only joking, last one there's a loser!"

And with that, Bianca was gone.

"Oh, crap," Rachel stomped her foot, before stretching and starting off as quickly as she could, knowing that she was never going to get there in time to beat them.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"I wish I could thank everyone personally for coming, but because that would take days, I'm not going to. So, thank you all for coming and I can now announce that we have all raised a grand total of… $978.00! It has been great fun and I am so happy that everyone was willing to run for a great cause! God bless you and see you all again next year!" Brittany shouted through the microphone, letting the happy tears roll down her pale skin and fall graciously to the floor.

As Brittany jumped down from the microphone stand, she ran into the arms of Santana, getting smothered in kisses and praise.

Rachel and Quinn watched from afar, suddenly feeling very awkward watching their two friends kiss in front of them. Rachel and Quinn had decided at the end of the run to keep Bianca's secret quiet from Santana, until Bianca was ready to open up to her big sister, as it wasn't really their place to say.

Finishing their kisses of passion, Santana and Brittany skipped over to their friends and there were hugs all around from Brittany.

"Right, so how are you two getting home then?" Santana smiled.

"Well, I phoned my dads and told them were my car was and they've gone out there with a tow truck to take it to a garage, but um," Rachel turned to Quinn, who nodded, "we were hoping that maybe you could give me and Quinn a lift home?"

As Rachel and Quinn both shrugged their shoulders and grinned sweetly, they said in unison, "pleeeeeease", causing both Santana and Brittany to burst into giggles.

"I guessed you were going to ask me for one anyway. Come on, let's go," Santana smiled happily, before making their way over to the parked cars.

Quinn loved it when Santana was in a good mood, as the atmosphere was so much lighter and clearer. Rachel was definitely pleased that Santana was in a good mood, because it meant she didn't feel like she was stepping on egg shells around her.

The car journey to Quinn's house wasn't too bad; they had a couple of laughs and played some 'Adele' really loudly, while Rachel and Santana did some harmony.

Getting out of the car, Quinn lent down into Santana's car window.

"Thanks for the ride Santana," she smiled.

"No problem, have a nice evening!" Santana winked, to which Quinn gave her a questioning look, but before she could question the brunette, Santana was speeding off to drop Brittany home.

Rachel was still laughing at something that Brittany had said as she walked onto the pavement to meet Quinn.

"So, good day overall?" Rachel asked Quinn, smiling beautifully under the low lying sun.

"Eventful is the word I would use," Quinn laughed.

Rachel laughed along, while nodding.

"Anyway, I better get home and fill my dads in on the day, they will be wondering how everything went, I also need to see how my poor old car is," Rachel feigned a sad face.

"Yeah, sorry about the car, but in one month, I shall be able to fix it," Quinn winked jokily.

As they both were laughing and generally enjoying each others company, a worrying sound broke their smiles.

A high pitched scream echoed down the street, entering both of the girl's ears and getting their attention straight away.

"Ahhhhh! Get off me!" the helpless voice called out.

Quinn stared wide eyed at Rachel, who had suddenly gone pale.

The streets weren't dark, as the sun was still up, but it was losing light quickly, as the sun went down to bed.

Springing into action, both of the girls immediately ran in the direction of the scream, both fearing what they might find.

Halting near the end of Quinn and Rachel's block, they could see a group of hooded teenagers on the other side of the road.

"Get off me!" the voice was desperately saying.

Quinn turned to Rachel, with certainty in her voice and protection in her eyes.

"You stay here, I will go over there and break it up," Quinn stated, holding Rachel's shoulders.

"Don't be stupid, I'm going with you," Rachel argued.

"Stay here, I don't want you getting hurt, you hear me?" Quinn said seriously, before nodding reassuringly and walking across the road, preparing herself to become very confident and stand up to people she didn't know.

The teenagers seemed to be hitting the teenager and shouting words of abuse, but Quinn couldn't quiet take in what they were saying as she was concentrating on getting ready to either fight or flight, and as someone's life was obviously in danger, it would have to be fight. Plus, Rachel was watching and she couldn't let her down.

"Hey! Back off!" Quinn shouted, which only caught the attention of two of the five people around the victim.

"Didn't you hear me! Get out of here!" Quinn started running towards them.

"I'm calling the cops!" Rachel shouted from behind, which Quinn was thankful for as suddenly everyone dispersed, leaving the victim battered on the pavement.

Quinn quickly looked over her shoulder, as Rachel ran to get to the victim as well. Rachel hadn't actually called the cops, as her hands were shaking too much to press her phone's buttons, but what Quinn didn't know was that she was taking mental notes of exactly what they looked like so they could be identified if needed.

Walking carefully up to the victim, who was bent over and covering her nose, letting the blood drip into her hand, Rachel and Quinn crouched down.

"Come on, we've got to get you to hospital," Quinn said confidently, knowing she had to help this young girl.

The victim slowly pulled her hood off from her head, letting her brown hair show. Finally looking up into the eyes of her rescuers, she just burst into tears and fell into the arms of her brunette saviour, needing someone to hold her.

Quinn had got out her phone to call for an ambulance, but as she looked down to Rachel holding the victim, she dropped the phone, sending it crashing to the floor.

Taking in the appearance, she had to fight back her tears that wanted to escape.

"Bianca?"

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	7. Chapter 7

**N/A **Hellooooo my lovely readers! Okay, I am sorry that it has been a while. How is everyone? Hope you're all okay and life is treating you well. On with the next chapter… enjoy! P.S. Your reviews always make me smile! :D Lots of love.

* * *

><p>As Rachel ushered Bianca into her welcoming home, Jason immediately ran to lead them into the kitchen, where he had his professional first aid kit already set out on the counter surface. Rachel sat opposite Bianca at their little table, while Jason inspected the little brunette's bruised face. Her lip was busted and her nose was at an angle that definitely was not normal. Quinn came in last and shut the door behind her, still a little shaken from the experience.<p>

Unfortunately, when Quinn had dropped her phone, it had smashed on the floor, completely ruining it. Rachel instantly shot into action and managed to calm her nerves enough that she could use her phone and dial her home and tell her daddy exactly what had happened.

As Rachel and Quinn were carrying Bianca around to Rachel's house, Michael phoned the police and Jason got ready to help Bianca, knowing that if he could inspect her, they might not have to go to the hospital; thank god he was a nurse.

Quinn lent against the kitchen counter and watched as Jason started to dab and clean Bianca's face. This was the first time she was in Rachel's house. Her head was a little messed up at the moment, what with just witnessing her friend being attacked and her mind-boggling feelings for Rachel, she wasn't really taking in her surroundings of Rachel's house. She watched in awe as Jason started to patch up Bianca's lip. Rachel's dads were amazing in Quinn's eyes. This was the first time she had met them properly and from what she was seeing, they were perfect. Michael had a comforting hand on Rachel's shoulder, as the brunette sipped some water. Jason was helping a girl in need and their home was incredibly homely.

"Okay, your lip will heal in its own time, but you have to be careful when you eat. But unfortunately, your nose is broken, so we're going to have to take you up the hospital," Jason started to calmly pack away his first aid kit.

Everyone sighed when Jason said she would have to have an operation on her nose, as it was just not fair that she had to get beaten up; it's horrific and saddening.

"I'll drive you Bianca," Quinn spoke up, moving over to rub Bianca's shoulder.

"No, it's okay Quinn. You need to relax, experiencing what you just did shakes people up a little, you might not consciously feel wrong, but unconsciously, you aren't in top condition, so it wouldn't be safe for you to drive. I'll take her, plus, she will get dealt with quicker if I'm there," Jason smiled sympathetically.

Quinn just nodded slightly, knowing that Jason was right, but wanting to be there every step of the way for Bianca. The girl looked completely distraught and scared, which is understandable.

Rachel scooted her chair a little closer to Bianca, their knees merely touching, so she could be closer to the girl that she wanted to comfort.

"Bianca, I know that now is probably not the best time, but soon, you're going to have to tell us what happened. Just so we can give the police all the information that they need to catch whoever did this to you," Rachel said quietly.

Quinn had moved and was now standing next to Rachel. She had done it without herself knowing, but when she finally realised that she was pretty much flush against the chair the brunette was sitting on, she didn't try to move and she also didn't try to stop the goose bumps that were travelling all over her body.

"I know," Bianca murmured.

"You can go to the hospital now, but tomorrow, do you want to come to my house and we can talk through what happened?" Quinn said softly.

"No," Bianca shook her head, regretting it when she felt thuds run through her brain.

"Oh, sorry, will it be too soon?" Quinn felt a little nervous, not knowing what to say to someone who is as fragile as Bianca was right now.

"No, as in no, I don't want to do it tomorrow. I can say it now," Bianca said shakily, before straightening up in her seat and facing the people that were so willingly trying to help her.

Quinn dragged a chair from next to Bianca and sat next to Rachel, leaning in and squeezing Bianca's hand, before letting the girl speak.

Clearing her throat, she grimaced slightly when the vibration of her throat clearing ran up through her nose and made a drop of blood run down the inside, making her want to vomit, but she knew that she had to say it now, otherwise, she would bury it and it would never be said.

"I'm going to say it as quickly as I can," Bianca started, "at the end of the charity run, Megan and I went to get a drink. When we were sitting on a bench, I told Megan how I felt about her. I needed too, it was eating me up inside and I felt safe telling her having been given advice from you two," Bianca nodded towards Quinn and Rachel.

"She took it well, she just said that she didn't feel the same and she doesn't really believe in homosexuality, but she will be cool with me," Bianca smiled a little, before the smile vanished.

"But I don't understand. I just presumed that it would have been Megan in the group of people that did this to you," Rachel said, not following the story.

"No, it was her big brother's friends. I only know this because when I go round Megan's house, they are all there with her brother and I recognised them when they had first approached me. It is probably part of my fault, as I know how much of homophobic her brother is and I made the mistake of bringing up the conversation we had had, whilst on the journey home in her mom's car and her brother was in the front passenger seat. Megan was explaining to me how she will still be my friend, but she didn't want me talking about girls in that way. Her brother heard all of it," Bianca hung her head slightly.

Quinn and Rachel went through things in their heads, making sense of what Bianca was describing to them. Michael was intrigued and was also thinking things through, but was a little less in the know, as he had no idea who these people were.

"Who is Megan's brother?" Quinn said angrily.

"Well, she is called Megan Karofsky," Bianca shuddered.

Rachel gasped as Quinn completely stilled. It could only mean one thing and that was that Dave Karofsky had gotten Bianca beaten up. Quinn was all ready to go and punch Dave in his balls herself, before Bianca spoke up.

"So, yes, as you've both probably realised, it was Dave Karofsky's friends. When they all approached me in the street, I couldn't see their faces because of their hoodies, but I can tell Dave's voice and he must have been behind them, as he simply shouted 'get her' and then I saw him run off, before I just saw feet and fists," Bianca had a small tear rolling down her cheek, as did everyone else in the room.

Michael had been taking mental notes about exactly what Bianca was telling them for further reference; that's obviously where Rachel got her mental note taking from.

"I'm so sorry Bianca that this has happened to you. No one should get put through that. When we go to the hospital, Michael will go to the police and tell them everything you have just told us, okay?" Jason got up from his chair and went to get his coat.

"You'll be okay Bianca, we won't let anyone hurt you," Rachel reassured her.

"Thank you," Bianca sniffed.

"Are you going to tell Santana?" Quinn asked.

"Maybe tomorrow, after all this is done. I'm sure she will ask questions when I come home tonight, with a busted lip and a broken nose," Bianca chuckled, before realising that this was a serious matter.

"Okay, well you better go with my dad to the hospital. They will treat you well," Rachel smiled.

As Bianca got up from her chair, she moved over and fitted snugly into Rachel's arms, letting the girl envelope her with warmth. They hugged each other for a couple of seconds, feeling a friendship forming, from which both girls were completely satisfied with, as they were two people who found making friends very hard.

Quinn watched on, liking the fact that two of her friends were bonding so well. She felt the urge to join in, it would lighten up the mood and she would be able to hug them both.

Going with her instinct, she walked over to the pair of brunettes and wrapped her arms around the two, relishing in the feeling of being so connected with people she liked so much; but for completely different reasons, which she would soon find out. Bianca let out a little giggle, while Rachel buried her head into the hug further, immediately seeking out Quinn's perfume and inhaling the fumes. Rachel wanted to just snuggle further into Quinn but realised that her feelings were taking her too far, so she broke from the hug first, much to Bianca's and Quinn's dismay.

"You better get going, the quicker your nose is repaired, the quicker it will heal," Rachel smiled, "I get my knowledge from my daddy."

Bianca laughed, before limping out of the kitchen slowly. She shouted a quick 'bye' over her shoulder as she quickly walked over to Jason's car. Pulling away swiftly, they made their journey to the hospital.

Back in the Berry household, Michael was getting ready to drive to the police station.

"Okay, are you girls going to be okay if I quickly go to the police station?" Michael asked towards the two girls at the table.

Rachel looked to Quinn, who gave a small but understandable nod.

"We'll be fine dad," Rachel smiled sweetly.

Walking proudly out of the kitchen, Michael was just about to leave, when an idea popped into his clever head.

"Oh, Quinn?" he said over his shoulder towards the kitchen.

Having heard her name being said so nicely and confidently, Quinn felt a little smile form on her tear streaked face, having cried so much earlier.

"Yes Mr Berry?" she replied.

"Call me Michael. I was just wondering if you would like to stay for dinner?" Michael shouted back.

Quinn was surprised by the gesture and found it adorable, when she saw Rachel immediately perk up and face the blonde. Quinn whispered to Rachel, contemplating the question.

"Would you mind that?" she asked, slightly biting her bottom lip mindlessly.

Rachel didn't miss the little nibble Quinn had given her plump lip and found it difficult to hide the shiver it had ignited within herself.

"Quinn, you're my friend, I would love that," she smiled widely.

Quinn grinned, before aiming her head towards the kitchen door and shouting back to the waiting Michael.

"I would love to!" Quinn smiled as she said it.

"Great! I'll be back in about an hour," Michael ended the conversation and closed the door, running to his car to make the journey to the police station, to report everything Bianca had told him, much to his sadness.

As Rachel heard the door close, she became increasingly nervous and realised that she was now alone with Quinn. She slowly wiped her hands down her cropped jeans that she still had on from the charity run, trying to calm her thoughts. What was so nerve-wracking? Quinn was her friend and they were hanging out. They had hung out before, many times. Rachel shook her head, feeling her mind fight against itself, but believed that it was fighting a losing battle. They had had walks in the park and laughed on the swings, how was this any different, right? It was different because her feelings were different. As she sat at her small kitchen table, with the blonde that made her mind go crazy sat next to her, she finally realised something that would change her future dramatically. She had feelings for her best friend; Quinn Fabray.

Quinn could sense that Rachel was in deep thought and couldn't bare to interrupt her. Letting her eyes fall over the brunette, as said girl nervously chewed her lip while contemplating something; she let her own thoughts dominate her mind. Every time Rachel was near, Quinn couldn't help but let her eyes rake over the girl, taking in every feature on her immaculate face. It still seemed to fascinate her how someone can be so beautiful and not know it. She thought about how every time Rachel touched her, she felt like she was going to pass out or her goose bumps were going to eat her up. She also thought about how each time Rachel said her name, it was almost as though it was the first time she was ever hearing it and how it fell so naturally from the brunette's tongue. Thinking about Rachel's voice, she thought about how, when the girl sang, it made Quinn's heart sing with joy. She loved letting the sound vibrate through her body and ignite her senses. Opening her eyes, which she didn't even know she had closed, she looked one last time at the girl that, in the past three weeks, had completely taken over all thoughts, feelings and heart.

As brown orbs met hazel, Quinn inwardly sighed, realising she had to surrender to the thoughts that had been bugging her over the past couple of weeks. She had always known it, from the minute she met the girl, but she didn't want to believe them, from the fear of losing the friendship, but as she looked away from the enticing brown eyes, she slowly nodded to herself. She had feelings for Rachel Berry; her best friend. Feelings that she now knew she wouldn't be able to control for much longer.

As both girls sat silently, letting their own thoughts be the voices in the room, Rachel's phone suddenly vibrated on the table, making both girls jump simultaneously.

"Sorry, I'll just check that," Rachel smiled, not meeting Quinn's eyes, from the nerves of never being able to look away again.

Rachel grabbed for her phone and unlocked it, before opening the text and quickly checking the sender.

"Oh," Rachel said allowed, while her brows furrowed.

"Is everything okay?" Quinn asked sincerely.

Rachel finally looked into Quinn's eyes, immediately regretting it when the hazel buttons poured out care and love. She cleared her throat, smiled at the blonde and looked back to her phone.

"Yeah, it's just it's a text from Puck and he rarely texts me," Rachel laughed.

Quinn immediately sulked a little. For some reason, Quinn felt a little protective of the brunette. She didn't want anyone to hurt her or use her. Quinn was happy when Rachel was with people that made her feel special, but Quinn knows that Puck has been known for getting with the ladies.

"Oh, okay, say hi from me," Quinn laughed a little.

Quinn watched as Rachel punched out a reply, sending if off and then walking over to the sink.

"Drink Quinn?" she smiled over her shoulder.

Quinn's mouth fell agape when she turned her head to look at Rachel. The little brunette had her hands lent against the surface of the sink, her right leg hooked behind her left and her hair falling graciously down her slender back, while her butt stuck out towards Quinn's leering eyes.

Rachel blushed under the intense gaze, before she spoke up again.

"Quinn? Would you like a drink?" she giggled.

"Yes! Sorry, yes please," Quinn quickly snapped out of her day dream.

"Orange or apple?" Rachel asked, while grabbing two glasses.

"You're going to hate me, but do you have blackcurrant?" Quinn grinned cheekily.

Rachel laughed, before searching her cupboards.

"Indeed we do," she exclaimed as she reached for the cordial and making two glasses of chilled blackcurrant.

As Rachel let the cold water dilute the cordial, she thought over what Puck had texted her.

**Hey Rachel. How are things? P **

It was probably the first time that she had got a text from Puck in about 6 months. They used to text a lot when Rachel had been partnered up with Puck to sing a number, but their friendship started to fade as they both got on with their separate lives. Rachel did have to admit that she had loved Puck's company when they had been together at each other's houses practising their duet. Puck would make her laugh until her stomach hurt, making jokes and fooling around. He was always a flirt and would nudge Rachel when he made an innuendo, but Rachel never felt anything towards Puck in that sort of way. Unbeknown to Rachel, Puck has had a small crush on Rachel since Junior Year. Rachel's short mini skirts and her argyle sweaters used to make Puck swoon. Now Rachel had become her true self, he had seemed to feel even more towards the brunette but didn't want to push anything, as he knew that she had never had a boyfriend before.

Rachel walked back over to the table, sitting down and handing Quinn her drink, before taking a gulp of her own and subtly grabbing her phone, before placing it in her lap.

"I like your house by the way," Quinn smiled, sipping her squash.

Rachel smiled proudly.

"Thank you, it's not much, but it feels like home," she replied.

"I would prefer it to not be much and feel like home. It's welcoming and warm," Quinn smiled widely, looking around the clean kitchen.

Rachel studied Quinn's attitude.

"Yours doesn't feel like home?" Rachel asked quietly.

Quinn looked down at her half full glass of liquid, gently swirling the cup to make a little tornado in the dark red juice.

"Not really, it's big inside and too spacious, with furniture that is bought because it is a designer label, not because it feels right, or photos hanging on the wall that have no connection with the family. I just don't really like it. I love my room though, it's my place to be," Quinn smiled, finishing her rant on a more positive note.

Rachel nodded.

"Oh, that's a shame. Well, you can come over my house any time," she smiled, wanting to wink as a joke, but thought against it.

"I will bare that in mind," Quinn laughed.

"Oh, talking about rooms, you have never seen mine," Rachel grinned.

Quinn had a massive urge to just say that she has, when she looked from her window, but didn't as she realised that would sound highly creepy and like a major stalker.

"Good point, show me?" Quinn smiled widely.

Both girls couldn't help all the innuendos that popped into their heads.

Rachel smiled, trying to hide the blush that was creeping up her neck and went to put her glass in the sink, as did Quinn before they walked out of the kitchen and headed for the stairs.

Taking a step at a time, Rachel got another text, which she opened as she was walking up the stairs.

As she looked at Puck's name on the screen, she thought about the reply she had sent.

**Hey Puck. Things are interesting tonight, witnessed a crime, I can tell you more later. How are things with you? R**

Rachel checked the reply, intrigued by the conversation.

**Shit! Are you okay? I am fine thanks, just chilling in my bedroom. P**

Rachel smiled sweetly at her phone, flattered that Puck was worried about her. The feeling turned to someone else when she remembered that Quinn had defended her and protected her when the fight was going on and she was soon smiling sweetly at that memory instead.

Quickly typing out a reply before getting to the top of the stairs, she sent it off and put her phone into her jeans pocket.

**I'm fine. Thanks for your concern. As long as it's just chilling in your room Noah Puckerman… R**

When Rachel had replied to the text, she didn't regret having a little banter, as they were really good friends and took nothing by it. Well, in Rachel's head they didn't.

Stopping just before her room, Rachel turned promptly round to Quinn, who had been silent the whole journey up the stairs and down the hallway.

Quinn had seen Rachel texting and didn't feel the need to interrupt her, even though she felt annoyed at Puck for texting her when Quinn was finally alone with the brunette, for the first time in ages.

"Right, that room over there next to the stairs we came up, is the main bathroom," Rachel stated, pointing towards the half-open door that was next to the stairs, before moving her finger and pointing to the next room, "that one opposite the bathroom is my dads room. That one next to my dads, is the guest room combined with the office and this one behind me, in the corner of the corridor is my room!"

Quinn grinned at Rachel's enthusiasm and her organised way of telling Quinn around her top floor. The hallway was full of hanging photo frames, of all different sizes and colours. Quinn absolutely loved the way that Rachel's dads had set it out. As you came up the stairs, there were small photo frames of Rachel as a baby, then moving up near the top of the stairs, Rachel started to grow up and was a toddler. The wall continued round to the bathroom, to the right of the stairs and Rachel and her dads were growing up, Rachel becoming more mature and you could see the different stages through out her life. The beautiful photo frames continued all around the corridor until the last photo frame was next to her bedroom at the end of the corridor. It was the most up-to-date picture of Rachel and her dads, obviously taken recently as Rachel was wearing her new clothes and had an amazing grin plastered on her face, as Michael and Jason were either side of her poking their tongues out. Quinn thought it was adorable and highly artistic, which she adored.

"Awesome, can we go in now?" Quinn finally spoke up with a little laugh.

"Of course, but I have one rule in my room," Rachel admitted shyly.

"Which is?" Quinn teased.

"Everyone has to take their shoes off," Rachel looked to the ground.

Quinn initially thought it was a little joke, until she saw that Rachel hadn't laughed and then realised it was a genuine rule. She nodded and smiled, not saying a word, before bending down and quickly untying her shoes and placing them next to Rachel's door, in the corridor.

"Ready," she smiled sweetly.

"You don't think it's silly?" Rachel asked, while taking her own shoes off.

"No, at the end of the day, it's your room and it can be your rules," Quinn grinned, "besides, I have one rule in my room as well."

Rachel laughed, loving the fact that it wasn't just her.

"Which is?" Rachel teased back, just as Quinn had done to her.

"I don't allow drinks, unless they are in sealed bottles. I have had too many accidents with spilling drinks in my room, that I now have a no drink rule," Quinn rolled her eyes jokily.

"Understandable, at the end of day, it's your room and it can be your rules," Rachel winked.

"What? Is it copy-Quinn-Fabray-day or something?" the blonde giggled.

"Nope, but it will be now," Rachel grinned while laughing.

Opening her door, Rachel walked in and immediately ran and jumped onto her bed, bouncing a little, suddenly happy, now being in her boudoir. She watched as Quinn came into the room slowly and immediately started to look at everything that her eyes could capture.

Rachel's walls were a pale cream colour, blending perfectly with the dark, pink curtains Quinn had seen from her window. The carpet was also a dark, pink colour, with a cream, fluffy rug in the middle of the room. Rachel's room was organised and clean, just like Quinn had imagined it to be. The air was warm and had a calming scent flowing through the atmosphere, almost as thought a scented candle was always burning, sending off heat and fragrance.

"You have a really nice room Rachel," Quinn smiled, letting her hand stroke across Rachel's dresser as she walked around, looking at the photo frames and the little bits of paper on Rachel's desk; just anything really.

"Thank you," Rachel replied, before stretching over and grabbing her TV remote.

Quinn was still casually making her way round the room, but ended up standing next to Rachel's bed. Shuffling awkwardly on her feet, she didn't know whether to sit down on the bed, or go and sit on the lonely chair at Rachel's desk.

Rachel saw Quinn just standing there, so shuffled a little bit, moving across to the right hand side of her comfy bed.

"Here," Rachel said softly, patting the bed next to her.

Adrenaline was pumping through out the brunette's body, knowing that Quinn was about to be sitting next to her, in close proximity, on her bed. Thoughts and feelings were racing through her mind and she was getting hotter at the reality of it. Checking her phone for no reason, she realised she actually had a text reply from Puck. She must have not heard it; she was slightly distracted.

Quinn gently sat down on the left hand side of the bed and fiddled with her thumbs, not knowing what to say or do. She saw Rachel start looking at her phone again, so took the opportunity to grab the remote.

"May I?" Quinn asked, pointing the remote towards the TV that was on top of the dresser.

Rachel looked up, her eyes coming up a couple of seconds afterwards and she simply nodded and smiled, before quickly going back to her phone.

Quinn sighed to herself, feeling a little defeated that Rachel would rather spend her time on her phone, than speaking to her friend. The fact that she knew it was Puck who was texting Rachel made her even more annoyed. She turned on the TV and put on the first programme that came up, before getting comfortable on the bed. Quinn's goose bumps had completed covered her body by this point, as her right leg was pretty much flush against Rachel's left leg. She wanted to touch Rachel, not in any particular place, just touch her skin; feel the smoothness and radiating heat. Quinn had never done anything with anyone except kissing, so anything further than that was scary territory for her. She had the thoughts and the urge to do more, but the fear of the unknown had always stopped her. Quinn knew that Rachel had also never done anything, not even kiss, well, from what she knew, so this made Quinn feel a little more relaxed in company, but not completely. How could she be completely relaxed in the company of Rachel Michele Berry?

Rachel needed her mind to be else where; anywhere that wasn't on Quinn. She would go insane. Being alone in your room with someone you now realise you are highly attracted to proves incredibly difficult on your urges. Rachel had run and jumped on her bed, just so that she didn't say or do anything that would give her feelings away. She then checked her phone when Quinn had sat down, just so that she didn't suddenly cuddle into the blonde. Now she was reading Puck's text, trying to get lost in the words that would never be able to compete with Quinn's, but she thought that she would have to give them a try. Fancying Quinn was new to Rachel. She had never been with a boy or a girl for that matter, so she didn't know what her sexuality was. In the past, she had found herself looking at girls and thinking things other than, "that's a nice dress", and more things like, "that's a nice dress and look at her body!" So, she believed that she wasn't one to choose purely on gender, but now that her feelings were falling hard for a girl, she needed to be sure that this is what she wanted. How did she know that she didn't like boys? She had never been with one. Shaking her head, all of her thoughts making her stressed, she looked back down at her phone.

**Wouldn't you like to know… P x**

Rachel's eyes had widened slightly when he had placed an 'x' on the end of his text. The flirtatious vibe in the text made Rachel giggle a little bit, which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde sitting next to her.

Rachel stopped smiling and replied, contemplating whether to send it, as she didn't know whether this banter was taking it too far, but quickly pressed the send button so she couldn't change her mind.

**Maybe I would… R **

She hadn't put an 'x' on the end of her reply, but she felt that a simple 'x' had more meaning that people realised, so would chose it for another time.

Quinn was getting a little impatient, as she absent-mindedly watched a CSI programme, while her eyes fell onto Rachel's hands, as they laid the phone back down on Rachel's lap, before they fell calmly to her sides. Quinn knew she shouldn't look at the screen of Rachel's phone, as the text conversation between the brunette and Puck was displayed clearly before her eyes, but she really wanted to. Feeling guilty, she let her eyes fall subtly onto the screen, as she squinted to read the texts. It only displayed Rachel's last two texts, with Puck's reply in the middle. Quinn read it quickly, as the words burned through her mind. She felt a load of emotions run through her blood stream all at once; jealously, annoyance, protection, motivation and defeat. Quinn didn't know what her mind was now trying to tell her. She could swear that as soon as she figured out one thing that her mind was saying, another complicated thought would start to bug her. She knew that she had feelings for Rachel, she knew that well, but suddenly she felt nervous as she wasn't too sure how to go about being with the brunette. She was already getting protective of her and she hadn't even expressed her feelings yet; if she ever would.

Letting out a fake yawn and a little, slightly pathetic, stretch, Quinn spoke up over the low volume of the TV.

"You know, I might actually get back now, my mom hasn't seen me since the beauty pageant and she's probably wondering where I am," she said casually.

Rachel stopped watching the TV and turned her head and her body slightly, to look at Quinn. As she turned, she underestimated how close they were together on the small, single bed. Rachel's shoulders were now touching Quinn's shoulder and she could slightly feel the blonde's breath tickle across her cheek. If she just moved a little closer she would be able to touch Quinn's lips with her own, to feel the plump lips of the blonde on her own soft lips and feel the fireworks shoot through her body. Rachel's whole body completely shivered as her thoughts came to an end.

"Rach, you okay?" Quinn said with a little laugh, still annoyed at the whole situation, but couldn't help thinking that Rachel had looked insanely cute just then.

"Sorry, what did you say again?" Rachel said shyly, ducking her head.

"I am probably going to head off now, my mom will be wondering where I am," Quinn repeated herself, with a small smile.

Rachel's face shot up, sadness written all over it. Quinn took in her features and immediately felt guilty. Rachel wanted her to stay? Did that mean she liked her company? Could that mean more? Well, of course she liked her company, they were friends. Rachel would like her to stay because she was meant to be staying for dinner. And of course it wouldn't mean more, Rachel didn't like her that way, or so Quinn thought.

Rachel mentally and physically slumped when Quinn said she was going. Rachel just liked Quinn being there. They didn't even need to do anything and Rachel would still be having fun with the blonde. They could just sit in a boring white room, with nothing in there, apart from themselves and Quinn would still be able to find a way to make Rachel laugh or smile.

"Oh, okay then, but don't you want dinner?" Rachel said with a hint of hope hidden in her voice.

"I just remembered that my mom had told me this morning that she had already planned dinner, sorry," Quinn said with a small tilt of the mouth.

She hated having to lie to Rachel, as her mom said nothing of the sort, but she needed to just walk home in the fresh air and clear her head. She also wanted to talk to someone about this, just to get all the voices that are in her head, out into the open.

"Oh, fair enough. I'll walk you to the front door," Rachel smiled unwillingly and shuffled off the bed and headed out of her room.

Quinn followed, dragging her feet with her, her whole mood suddenly incredibly low.

Stopping at the Berry's front door, Quinn was ready to just run all the way home, shouting all her feelings all the way there, getting it off her chest, but resisted the urge and turned around to say her goodbye's to Rachel instead.

"Thanks for today Rach, helping me cut my hair, being there for me at the beauty pageant, running with me and helping Bianca with me," Quinn smiled, actually shocking herself at the reality of how much that had happened in one day.

"Wow, talk about a busy day," Rachel laughed.

"I didn't actually realise it had been that much, it seemed to go so quickly," Quinn said still shocked.

"Well, time goes fast when you're having fun," Rachel said quietly, batting her eyelashes unconsciously.

Quinn sensed a slight different tone in Rachel's voice, which was new and it ignited more feelings within the blonde, just confusing her even more.

"True, true," Quinn rushed out, before turning around and heading for the path.

"Anyway, see you on Monday Rach, have a nice rest of the weekend," Quinn forced a quick smile over her shoulder, before she started to get to the sidewalk.

Hearing footsteps run up behind her, she prepared herself to be hugged by the brunette and she would need to control her feelings.

There was no hug, there was no voice; there was just a gentle tap on her shoulder.

Turning gradually on her heel, she was faced with Rachel, looking down at her small hands, which were fiddling together in a nervous manner.

Rachel tilted her head up, the light from the moon falling beautifully down over Quinn's face, casting shadows in all the right places.

"Please be careful on your way home, I don't want you getting hurt," she said quietly, not meeting the blonde's eyes.

Quinn's heart melted. Rachel cared about her and she couldn't have said that in a more vulnerable way. Quinn just wanted to grab the girl and squeeze her senseless, but realised that with all her thoughts, she might get carried away.

"I will be okay Rach, don't worry. I'll text you when I get home," Quinn smiled reassuringly.

"But what happened to Bianca…" Rachel started to wave her hands.

"Won't happen to me. I will be fine Rach, please don't worry yourself," Quinn said, before quickly delving in for a chaste hug, before pulling way and walking down the sidewalk and on her way home.

Rachel watched Quinn until she turned the corner and carried on round the block to her home. Rachel ran back inside, feeling suddenly very lonely in her house, without her favourite blonde being here with her.

She ran back up to her room and jumped onto her bed, but sat on the side that Quinn was previously on, relishing in the warmth that the blonde had left. Rachel didn't change the channel even though she didn't know the programme. She wanted to feel like the blonde was still here, she missed her company already. Lying back on her bed, she felt a bump under back and huffed before sitting up and finding the intruding object. Pulling it out from behind her, she looked down and realised that it was her own phone. It was saying that she had a new message.

Opening it up and reading the text from Puck, she went to reply. In the back of her mind, she was a little worried it wasn't from Quinn though.

**Look who's suddenly upped the game ;) Rachel, would you like to come over some time? For old time's sake. P x **

**What game Puck, please explain to me the rules? Maybe sometime. R**

Rachel sat the phone back down on her bed, but almost simultaneously two new messages came through. First one was from Quinn; much to Rachel's relief and the second one was from Puck, much to Rachel's confusing thoughts.

She read Quinn's first.

**I'm home now Rach. No need to worry anymore. Have a nice night and tell your dads I'm sorry for not staying for dinner. Q**

Rachel smiled to herself for many reasons; Quinn was safe, she cared about Rachel not worrying, she was nice to say to have a good night and she was polite about apologising to her dads.

Quickly, checking Puck's text afterwards, she told herself that she would reply to Quinn after reading Pucks.

**The rules are there are no rules… P x**

Rachel didn't know how to react, her body suddenly tensed with a slight rush of adrenaline, which died down, before she felt herself becoming nervous, for reasons that she wasn't too sure of. Full of emotions, she sent out a reply, nervous to get the answer.

**Good. When shall I come over? R**

She didn't have to wait long though, as a reply came through straight after.

**Tomorrow afternoon? I'm not up to anything. P x**

Rachel debated it. She was intrigued to find out where this could lead, but also felt guilty towards her feelings for Quinn. Realising that she would have to make up her mind sooner or later, she went with her instinct and texted Puck back.

**Sounds good, I'll be over at 2pm. See you tomorrow Puck. R**

**Night Rachel. P x**

Rachel let out a little sigh, before going back to the text that Quinn had sent her. Her fingers were hovering over the letters to reply, when she suddenly heard her front door being opened downstairs. Since what happened earlier with Bianca, Rachel felt herself being quite jumpy at noises, so dropped her phone on her bed, and jogged into the corridor, leaning to look down the stairs.

"Dad!" Rachel shouted happily, before jogging down the stairs.

"Hello princess," Michael replied, enveloping Rachel in a hug.

"How did the police thing go?" Rachel asked, interested yet a little nervous.

"It's all sorted, don't you worry," Michael smiled, before walking to the kitchen.

"Can you help me with din…, wait where is Quinn?" Michael started to say before turning round to look at his daughter in the hallway.

"Oh, she had to go home, something about seeing her mom as she hasn't seen her since this morning," Rachel shrugged, trying to hide her true disappointment of her friend's absence.

Michael raised an eyebrow at the blonde's excuse, before carrying on with his journey to the kitchen.

"Okay, well would you like to help me with dinner?" Michael asked once again.

"Of course dad," Rachel smiled, walking into the kitchen and preparing the meal.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Over in the Fabray household, Quinn was having a little sulk in her room. Rachel hadn't replied to her text and it had now been 20 minutes. It made her more irritated thinking about it, as Rachel was probably too busy texting Puck.

Quinn shoved her head into her pillow and let out a small, but forceful scream, tensing her whole body and then abruptly collapsing, whining into the pillow. Why did everything have to be so confusing? She just got the biggest thing in her life over and done with, which was the beauty pageants, so now she can focus on her passion of photography, but now another thing has come into her life, which has got her mind racing at 100mph, but for different reasons. Quinn was stressed out as well, as Rachel and herself hadn't been to the secret garden for ages, which made Quinn sad and she felt too cooped up in her house. She shut off her mind and cried out the frustration into her forever supporting pillow, which had been there through Quinn's tears, Quinn's laughter, Quinn's smiles and Quinn's plain old grumpy days.

Hearing a small knock on her bedroom door, she wiped furiously at her eyes, before choking out a small, "come in".

Tony cautiously open the door, before seeing the state of his daughters face and walking straight over to stroke her shoulders, whilst sitting next to her on the bed.

"Oh honey, what's wrong? Whoever hurt you, I will personally beat them up myself," Tony stated seriously.

"No one hurt me dad, just a lot has gone on today, my head is so full with stuff," Quinn sniffed.

Tony nodded in understanding.

"I know Quinn, today has been hard for you. Michael phoned me and told me what happened with Bianca, it is so devastating and shameful. But over all of that, you still make me a proud father, you did the right thing Quinn," Tony squeezed her shoulder.

"Thank you dad. I needed to protect my friends, Bianca was in danger and Rachel is too small to fight, I did what I needed to do," Quinn sighed.

Tony could read his daughter like a book. They were so alike and bonded that it didn't take much to decipher each other's behaviour.

"Quinn, there is something else, what's going on? I know you don't have to say, but I am always here to talk to, you know that," Tony smiled encouragingly.

Quinn nodded while looking into her dads strong and proud eyes, before bursting into tears, collapsing in his lap and shuddering with full emotions running high.

Tony cradled her in his arms, until she was ready to speak. Tony was always so calm in these situations, so collected and always knew what to do or say.

Feeling Quinn's heartbeat slow down and her breaths even out, he knew she was ready to open up.

"Are you okay Quinn?" Tony said softly.

"No dad, I have so many feelings in my mind, confusing me beyond belief, making me questions things and they're all around one person, one person that I have fallen for, hard," Quinn stuttered out.

Tony already knew who this said person was. It was obvious to people who weren't under the influence of teen crushes. A small smile grew on his lips, not because his daughter was sad, but because he knew how this story was going to play out, how it was going to end up. He remembered what it was like to be their age, so could sympathise with her, but he always thought it would be tougher for a girl, as they have to go through so much more, hence why Tony had so much love and respect for Quinn.

Quinn sat up straight on her bed, next to her father, before speaking out into the room.

"I like Rachel, dad. I really like her," Quinn said quietly.

Tony nodded to himself, before putting his arm around Quinn's shoulders.

"I know Quinn," he whispered.

Quinn's face was of shock and admiration.

"How do you know everything?" she said through wide eyes.

"I am Tony Fabray," he winked jokingly.

A small grin grew on the blonde's face, happy to be cheered up by her lovely dad.

"Thank you dad," Quinn replied.

Tony just hugged her closer, before standing up and walking over to her desk, grabbing a notepad and pen and walking back over to the bed.

"What are you doing?" Quinn laughed.

"I know everything right?" Tony smiled cheekily.

"Yeah," she said slowly.

"Well, on this piece of paper, I am going to write down where I think you and Rachel will be in ten years time," he nodded, before writing on the notepad, out of Quinn's sight.

"Ten years?" Quinn gasped.

"Yes, ten years," Tony nodded, before folding the piece of paper up and handing it to Quinn.

Quinn went to open it but Tony spoke up quickly.

"No! You can't look until your 28th birthday, then it would have been ten years. You have to promise you won't look at it?" Tony said.

Quinn looked doubtful, but then replied with a smile, interested in this game.

"I promise, I will keep it in my purse, so each time I get a new purse, I can always swap it and have it with me," Quinn laughed.

Tony laughed along, before a comfortable silence fell upon them both, while the evening was drawing in.

"But dad? What if Rachel and I don't know each other then?" Quinn said sadly.

Tony got up off the bed to go downstairs and prepare some dinner, but as he approached the door, he turned over his shoulder and replied to Quinn's question.

"You will," he simply replied.

With that, the wise man Quinn knew as her dad was gone, leaving his admiring words echoing in the room, to lull over Quinn's mind, soothing her worries and eliminating her pestering thoughts.

Having spoken to her dad and got it out in the open to at least one person, Quinn was happy to just enjoy the rest of her evening, as she replayed the conversation back in her head.

_What if Rachel and I don't know each other then?_

_You will._


	8. Chapter 8

**N/A **Ello ello my lovely readers ;) Okay, well, I hope you liked the last chapter. I got one review which had some criticism, (which I don't mind, cause at the end of the day, I need to know if something doesn't work within the story), and even though reading stories is subjective, so people can all have their own opinions, this one person said they weren't too keen on the whole 'drama' aspect of the last chapter. What are your views on how the story is going? Do you like the 'drama'?

I just really want to please everyone, but obviously that can't happen, but I will try my damn hardest to try and please most people, so I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! :)

P.S. This is probably the longest chapter I have ever written, (it's over 10,000 words!) so sorry if you don't like long chapters, but if you do, go crazy! ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Quinn woke up on Sunday morning feeling a mixture of feelings. Since having the conversation with her dad last night, Quinn has cleared her mind from Rachel thoughts. She thinks that if she has a day of not thinking about the little brunette, then maybe she will be able to see things more clearly and be able to act upon her emotions in a sensible manner. She hasn't really spoken to her mom since the beauty pageant as Judy had to go out last night and she has gone out today with her friend for some shopping. Quinn didn't feel the need to actually talk to her just yet, as she has felt that her mom has changed since clapping her after her speech at the pageant anyway.<p>

Listening to her iPod in her room, she heard her dad shout up the two flights of stairs.

"Quinn? Would you like some lunch?" her dad asked.

Quinn took out her earphones and placed them on her bed, before turning off her iPod and running down the stairs to see her dad.

"Yes please," she said pleasantly.

"Wow, someone is a bit different today," Tony smiled.

"Well, I am having a Rachel-free day, I am not texting her and talking to her for the whole day," Quinn grinned, but inside she felt a little lost. Rachel was her days; she hadn't gone a whole day without speaking to the brunette since they became friends again.

Tony let out a little laugh, as they both made their way to the kitchen.

"Yeah, like that's going to happen," he chuckled.

"Dad! It will," Quinn said defiantly.

"Okay, if you say so," Tony said, knowing too well that his daughter wouldn't be able to resist the girl she has fallen so deeply for.

Quinn stuck up her nose in a cheeky manner before helping her dad with making some jam sandwiches for lunch. As it was just the two of them, it couldn't just be a normal sandwich making experience. Oh no, Tony had to go and make it a competition to see who could make theirs in the quickest time. Suffice to say, Quinn ended up having to have a shower after getting jam _everywhere._

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Rachel really hadn't wanted to wake up this morning. She would usually get up at about 9am on Sunday mornings, giving her an adequate lie-in, but today she has slept in until 11:30am. Michael had come up to check on her, thinking maybe she had passed out or something in the shower, only because it was a rarity that Rachel ever slept in longer than 9am. Waking her up at 11:30am, he had tried to have a chat with her, but she was completely against any sort of talking. She mumbled a couple of words, before dragging herself to the bathroom to have a shower. Michael was a little worried and went downstairs to have a chat with Jason.

Sitting in the living room, reading the newspaper, Jason glanced up at the clock, which read that it was now 12:49pm. Rachel had taken a shower ages ago, but hadn't come downstairs to have breakfast or lunch.

"Mike, what do you think is wrong with her? Should I go up and speak to her?" Jason placed the newspaper on his lap, while addressing his husband who was in the armchair opposite him.

"I have no idea, I just know that if you try to speak to her, you won't get an answer," Michael shook his head, placing his Kindle on the coffee table in front of him.

"Do you think it has something to do with Quinn?" Jason pondered.

"Why would it?" Michael asked, working things through in his own head.

"Well, she didn't stay for dinner yesterday and her excuse sounded very random," Jason explained.

"They're teenagers, they are random," Michael laughed back.

Jason just rolled his eyes, before speaking again.

"Maybe we should talk to her about the beating she witnessed yesterday? It could have affected her more than we know," Jason sighed.

"Good point, but she has always been a talker, she would speak to us about that wouldn't she?" Michael said with hope in his voice.

"Like you said, she's a teenager, she's random," Jason said in all seriousness.

Michael nodded, before going to get up off his chair, as said girl came down the stairs, clutching a coat and her handbag.

Michael and Jason sat back into their chairs and tried to act nonchalant, but kids could always tell when their parents had just been talking about them, they have this sort of look as if to say, 'we were just talking about you, but we are trying to pretend we weren't, oh is that the time!'.

Rachel walked in and sat down on the couch, getting out her phone and started to just look through it at nothing in particular.

"So, princess, what do you have planned for this afternoon?" Jason asked politely.

Rachel looked up at him with tired eyes.

"I'm going over to Puck's in a bit, just to hang out, haven't seen him in a while," she smiled, but it didn't reach her beautiful but defeated eyes.

Jason looked over to Michael who was watching his daughter, studying what she was saying.

"Oh, we thought you would be hanging out with Quinn in the secret den or something, you haven't been there for a while," Michael spoke up.

Michael liked the young blonde, she seemed pleasant and a good thing in his daughters life. She seemed like someone who was going to play a big part in Rachel's life, but right now, he couldn't pin point why.

"No, she's busy today," Rachel waved off, before going to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.

Rachel hadn't liked lying to her dads, but she didn't feel like explaining all of her feelings right now. She was still trying to work them out for herself. She knew she liked Quinn, hell she liked her a lot, as she couldn't stop thinking about her. Everything she saw, heard, touched, smelt, all reminded her of Quinn in some sort of way.

As Rachel made herself a quick salad, she was thinking about what she was going to do at Puck's. She was happy to see him, but couldn't help feeling that he had contacted her for other reasons. She felt nervous thinking about going over to his house, only because they were slightly older now, more mature and more aware of themselves.

She loved the boy dearly, as he was the only one to like her when she was her old self, but when they would have banter and flirt with each other out of habit, she always felt like there was some truth on Puck's behalf. That's partly the reason that she had slowly faded out of his life a little, when they had grown apart, not wanting to lead the boy on, as she didn't feel the same way about him.

Finishing off all the leaves and potato salad she had made for herself, Rachel then got ready to walk over to Puck's. She knew she was going to be extremely early, but she didn't know what else to do. If she stayed home any longer, she would text Quinn, or go to the secret garden to meet her, but she wanted to just test her feelings before seeing the blonde again.

Walking quickly to the front door, she shouted her goodbye's over her shoulder.

"Bye dads, I'm going to Puck's now, be back later," Rachel said as she closed the door.

Michael went to say bye before he heard the front door slam and didn't bother.

"Yep, it's something to do with Quinn, I just know it," Jason nodded to himself knowingly.

"Actually, I think you might be right on this one," Michael mused.

"I'm always right," Jason winked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Big head," Michael mumbled, while rolling his eyes.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Quinn finally finished making and eating her jam sandwiches come 1pm. She loved jam; it was so sugary and sweet. Tony had gone out to pick Judy up, so Quinn was just chilling in the living room, deciding to watch mind-numbing daytime TV rather than attempt to do her History homework. As she was mindlessly switching channels there was a recognisable knock at the door.

Smirking to herself, she jumped off the couch and hurriedly made her way to the front door.

Swinging it open, she smiled at her friend, happy to have some unexpected company.

"Hey Santana," Quinn grinned.

"Hey, what's up?" Santana smirked back.

"Nothing much, I was literally just thinking about how bored I was," Quinn laughed, moving aside so Santana could come in.

"Well, I was just on my way to Brittany's, but I thought I'd come and say hi, as I was on your block," Santana shrugged, before walking casually into the living room, lying down on the couch and stretching out over it.

Quinn walked in and rolled her eyes at her friend's antics, before making herself comfortable on the other couch.

Santana changed the channel; more than happy to make herself at home, as she has been doing for the past 10 years of coming to the Fabray house. She would do the same when she came round as a little girl, she would immediately go and rage the fridge for the latest snack, or go and look at their new children games in the cupboard; that was just Santana for you.

"How have you been lately Quinn?" Santana said, not meeting the blonde's eyes.

Quinn could sense that there was a slight accusation within Santana's question, almost as though she knew something was happening in Quinn's life, but wanted the blonde to say it instead. Quinn wondered if Bianca had told Santana about the fight, she didn't even know if Bianca got home safely last night, as she didn't stay for dinner round the Berry's, so didn't know when Jason got back.

"I'm been fine thanks, what about you? How's Bianca?" Quinn tried to make the conversation turn around.

Santana immediately turned the TV off at Quinn's last question. Quinn watched her friend carefully, wondering if she had said the wrong thing. Santana sat up on the couch, leaning forward slightly with her arms resting on her knees. Gradually lifting her head and connecting her eyes with Quinn's, she finally spoke up into the silent room.

"I would say I'm fine, but then we would both be lying wouldn't we?" Santana said simply.

Quinn diverted her gaze away from Santana, instantly knowing that Santana had picked up on her behaviour relating to one small brunette named Rachel.

"Okay, so who's going to speak first?" Quinn said, finally meeting Santana's eyes.

"I will; mainly because I don't really have much to say," Santana shrugged, before speaking again, "Bianca came home last night, broken nose and a bruised face. She is okay though, she's healing and apparently the police are interviewing the bastard that did it to her. She told me about everything that happened, who did it, when it happened, how it happened and finally, who rescued her."

Santana looked the most vulnerable she has ever looked, yet at the same time she looked like a mixture of proud and protective. A single, lonely tear fell slowly down Santana's cheek, waving over her cheekbone and disappearing under her chin, only to be wiped away by the quick action reflex of her hand.

Quinn kept her eye contact with her, feeling like she wanted to just hug her, but kept that for later.

"You know I don't like gushing out all my feelings and all that, but I just want to thank you. I don't want to think about what could have happened to my little sis if you and Rachel hadn't saved her. You are truly one cool mate Quinn and well, Rachel isn't so bad either," Santana smiled a little nearer the end, as did Quinn.

Quinn got up off her own couch and sat next to Santana, linking their hands.

"I did what you would have done if you had been in that position. I am glad that I was there, as Bianca is important to me too, she's like the little sister I never had," Quinn smiled proudly.

Santana leaned in and gave Quinn a quick but meaningful hug, before relaxing back in the chair and addressing the blonde.

"So, if I am not mistaken, you've got to speak now," Santana winked, as she saw Quinn immediately blush.

"I don't know where to start if I'm being honest," Quinn sighed, leaning back into the couch as well.

So much for not thinking or speaking about Rachel Berry, Quinn thought.

"Maybe you want to start on telling me when you finally realised you liked Rachel?" Santana pushed light-heartedly.

"You too?" Quinn covered her face with her hands, letting out a little mumble.

Santana just laughed, before asking Quinn a question.

"Wait, me too what?" she asked, confused.

"Well, I told my dad last night that I like her and he said he already knew and then you just said that I should tell you when I finally realised, which obviously means that you knew too. How didn't I know?" Quinn sulked, feeling a little frustrated that everyone seemed to know ages ago, except herself.

"I think you did, you just didn't want to believe it, because you were scared it would come in the way of your friendship that you were finally building back up with her," Santana explained, feeling smug that it actually made sense.

"Oh man, that sounds just about right," Quinn nodded.

"Well, what can I say? I'm a genius," Santana shrugged.

Quinn laughed, before sitting back up straight and looking at her friend, with serious written all across her delicate features.

"San, I really don't know what to do. I really like her, like a lot. She's all I ever think about. I finally realised it yesterday, when we were alone in her house after the whole Bianca ordeal. I think I've always known unconsciously, but I finally just accepted the feelings yesterday," Quinn stated.

Santana nodded and sat up slowly.

"That was deep Quinn. Okay, well, you've accepted your feelings, so that's a start right?" Santana tried adding a positive note to the conversation, not really knowing what to say to make her friend feel better.

"I've accepted them, but that doesn't necessarily make it any better. I even got a little, not jealous, but annoyed when she was constantly texting Puck yesterday, I even had to leave, as my feelings where overwhelming me," Quinn shook her head, thinking over the memory.

"Oh god, don't get jealous, that's the least attractive quality in someone," Santana said quickly.

"I know, well, it wasn't jealously as such, I don't really know what it was. It's almost as though I was frustrated, because Puck will always have more of a chance with Rachel than I ever would because he's a guy," Quinn sighed.

Santana nodded, knowing all too well what it felt like when you didn't know if a girl was straight or not, because she felt like that before Brittany and herself got together.

"Well, for a start Puck hasn't got a chance really, they literally act like brother and sister; it would be weird and sort of like incest, which I'm pretty sure is illegal, so, you know. And secondly, you don't know what her liking is. Her dads are gay, she might be all like, 'girls, boys, what's the difference' type thing, you know?" Santana said, hoping that she was making her friend feel even just that little bit better.

Quinn had a small smirk growing on her face as her friend rambled on. She could always count on Santana to cheer her up a little bit, just by saying random things about Puck and Rachel being brother and sister. It was making her feel better, so she was glad for the company.

"Fair enough, you're right. I've thought about this too much. I like her, but I should just carry on in my friendship with her and maybe hint things to her or ask her some questions, right? It's just every time I am near her, I just want to be closer to her, as close as I can get, and hear her voice, feel her breath on me and maybe, even, maybe just kiss her, I don't know. My feelings go crazy when I'm around her. I've never had sexual thoughts or thoughts of kissing anyone before, but Rachel, she's different. I want to kiss her, I really do," Quinn collapsed back in the couch and covered her face with her hands, due to a mix of embarrassment and exhaustion.

Santana shuffled a little awkwardly on the seat next to the blonde, realising that she may have just unleashed all of Quinn's feelings with talking about Rachel. Clearing her throat, she started to speak up.

"Okay," she said slowly and cautiously, "you maybe want to keep some of those thoughts in, as they were getting a bit steamy, but whatever. I don't know what to say Quinn, but if I was in your position, I would literally just tell her how I felt, because what's the worst that could happen, right?"

"She thinks I'm a total freak, gets scared and runs away to New York, before going crazy and owning a cat farm and eating her own arms," Quinn deadpanned.

"Yeah, like that is realistic," Santana laughed.

"Yeah, okay, fair enough. But what if she gets awkward around me and stops hanging out with me, scared of leading me on or something?" Quinn said, worrying over the thought of losing the brunette.

"We are talking about Rachel Berry right? The Rachel that has forgiven you and even forgiven me for that matter? She is all about gay rights and she loves her dads like nobody's business. She likes new people and will always give them a chance and she treats everyone with respect. When people, including me, were bullying her, she would just shake it off and be civil with everyone. Quinn, she is the most accepting person I know. As much as I hate to admit it, but I'm getting better at it, she is a really nice person Quinn, probably one of the nicest people you're going to meet. If you don't tell her sooner or later, you might never get your chance," Santana said in a mature manner, feeling happy to finally be able to help someone and actually feel good about it.

Quinn listened intently to everything Santana had said, especially the last part and it played over and over in her head, like a track on replay.

_If you don't tell her sooner or later, you might never get your chance._

"I have my chance and I'm taking it," Quinn said with certainty.

"Taking what chance?" Santana said, suddenly confused, as her eyebrows furrowed.

"To tell her how I feel. You said if I don't tell her sooner or later, that chance might slip away and that's a risk I'm not willing to take. I will tell her tomorrow," Quinn said, with a small smile gracing her lips, as her nerves ran wild through her body.

"You're being serious right now?" Santana said, suddenly excited at her friend's announcement.

"Totally serious," Quinn nodded.

"Oh my god, this is huge Quinn," Santana squealed, but coughed and readjusted her posture when she realised how girly she just sounded, "well, you know, whatever suits you, it's cool."

Quinn muffled the laugh that tried to escape at her friend's behaviour.

"I know, I don't know if I am going to be able to do it though," Quinn nibbled on her bottom lip nervously.

"You will be able to do it. Just think about how strongly you feel about her and how much you don't want to lose her. She won't hate you for it, she might even like you more for it, because you are being honest with her, rather than hiding how you feel," Santana smiled.

"When the hell did you get so clever and mature?" Quinn laughed in awe.

"I've always been clever and mature, I just decide to use those characteristics of mine when they are truly needed," Santana smirked.

"Come here," Quinn grinned, as she dragged her friend in for a lung-crushing hug.

After two minutes of hugging, Santana finally spoke up.

"Okay, need air, Quinn, I need air," Santana choked.

No response. Quinn was revelling in the feeling of having one of her best friends being so supportive and respectful of the situation and she was also suddenly feeling excited about the prospect of having her feelings finally out in the open. She was scared of how Rachel would react, but at the same time, Santana's words comforted her.

"Air! I need air!" Santana pulled back breathlessly.

"Oh, sorry San," Quinn said with a dopey grin.

"No apology needed, just I might need some oxygen," Santana laughed, while rubbing her neck.

"Thank you for this talk by the way, I don't think you understand how much it all means to me," Quinn smiled, with genuine affection.

"Happy to help, what are friends for? Apart from eating each other's food and getting busted together," Santana winked, "anyway, I better be off, I was meant to be at Brittany's at one fifteen and it's now quarter to two."

Quinn looked at the clock and felt guilty.

"Oops, tell her I'm sorry for keeping you," Quinn said.

"She'll understand. Can I tell her about your feelings for Rachel or is it a secret?" Santana asked as she got up off the couch.

"Brittany is welcome to know, as long as she keeps it quiet," Quinn smiled.

"I will make sure she knows not to go excitedly bouncing over to Rachel's congratulating her on the wedding or something, you know how she gets if someone says they like someone, it's practically marriage in her eyes," Santana laughed.

"True," Quinn laughed along, "anyway, see you at school tomorrow San."

Santana walked onto the porch, before turning around.

"We can plan what you are going to say to Rachel at lunchtime if you want?" Santana grinned, with a wink.

"That might be helpful," Quinn laughed.

With that, Santana was gone, walking quickly up to her girlfriend's house, as Quinn made her way back inside, her mood suddenly completely different than it was a couple of minutes ago.

Quinn wanted to get her phone out and phone Rachel immediately, asking if she wanted to go to the secret garden but she didn't want to see the brunette yet, as she didn't know if she could hold in her feelings.

Smiling to herself, she grabbed a coat, ran up to her forever welcoming bedroom and took some photos from her photo drawer and grabbed the stories and poems that Rachel had emailed to her when she had been grounded. She then ran out into the garden to go to one of her favourite places on earth; the secret garden.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Rachel walked up Puck's path towards his bungalow, she had the massive urge to just turn around and run back home and go to the secret garden, writing about her thoughts and feelings, or write a poem about something completely unrelated to any of her thoughts, just to disappear into the paper and write among the stars. But her feet kept taking her up to the front door, and he arm took her hand up to the door and knocked it three times.

As Rachel was looking down herself and smoothing out her dress, she felt a breeze drift over her, telling her that someone had just opened the front door. Looking up, she was met with a smiling boy.

"Hey Rachel, you're early," Puck grinned.

"Yeah, is that okay?" Rachel asked politely.

"Of course, come in. My mom, sister and brother are out, so it's cool for you to come early," Puck replied, moving aside for Rachel to enter.

As Rachel stepped in, she was immediately met with Puck's pet dog; Hank. He was an American Beagle and would always seek out new people, to sniff and get comfortable with their presence. As Hank approached Rachel's legs, he sniffed once before his tail instantly went into wagging mode. He recognised Rachel straight away and had obviously missed her company.

"Hey Hank," Rachel cooed, as she bent down and rubbed behind his ear.

"He's missed you," Puck said, while closing the front door.

"I've missed him," Rachel laughed.

"More than me?" Puck feigned shock, as he pretended to storm into the living room, which immediately caught the attention of Hank, who dumped Rachel's attention and walked off to follow his owner.

Rachel missed her little friend immediately, so followed the pair into the small living room.

"No, never more than you Puck," Rachel grinned sarcastically, as she took a seat on the couch, as Puck sat in the only armchair.

"Good to hear," Puck winked.

Puck thought that Rachel was looking stunning today, with her dress hugging her curves and her cardigan wrapped comfortably around her upper body. He was so happy to have her in his life again, but bearing in mind, this was only day one. Over the last year or so, he tried not to show how much he actually missed her, but he had missed her so much, it was getting harder and harder for him to hide it. Every day when they were at school, he wanted to just walk up to her and make idle conversation, but she would always be preoccupied or talking to someone else.

Now sitting alone with her in his house, he realised how much his crush had grown and how differently he was starting to see his friend. She looked more grown up, she had curves in all the right places and her eyes seemed to sparkle with maturity.

Leaning back into his armchair, he made conversation, hoping that she was comfortable in his presence.

"So, what do you want to do today?" he smiled in her direction.

Rachel had missed his home. Even though it was only a small bungalow and was quite messy, it always felt warm and welcoming, like anyone could come in and they would be offered a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Rachel would always come over like it was her second home, making herself some lunch as she would wait for Puck to return from band practise. Rachel found it very easy to have comfortable conversations with Puck's mom, Condy, while she waited for him to come home.

Looking around the room, she realised that she wasn't sure of what she wanted to do. As Puck had invited her over, she had automatically presumed that he would have some ideas in mind.

"Don't mind, it's up to you," Rachel smiled politely.

Puck laughed.

"Do you remember we always used to have these conversations, when we couldn't make up our minds on what to do," Puck chuckled.

As the memories came back to Rachel, she began to laugh too. If Rachel popped over Puck's house, the first twenty minutes would be spent, switching back and forth saying the same sentence of, "I don't know what to do, what do you want to do?" or, "no, you're the guest, what do you want to do?"

"Okay, shall we play some Xbox games? I bet I can beat your ass at Modern Warfare," Rachel said confidently, while grinning.

Puck leaned forward on his armchair, while he brushed through his Mohawk with his left hand, before holding out his right hand for Rachel to take shake it.

"I'll take that as a challenge Rachel Michele Berry," Puck winked.

Rachel took the hand firmly in her grip and shook it up and down twice. Nothing came from the contact of Puck's skin for Rachel, just a confirmation of a challenge, whereas on the other end of the handshake, Puck couldn't help the tingles that ran over his body when coming in contact with Rachel's pure, soft and delicate skin. If he hadn't of had to end the handshake, he would have held Rachel's hand for much longer.

"It's on," Rachel stated, as she got up off the couch, to turn the console on, which was near the small TV.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"What the hell?" Puck exclaimed, as he slammed down his control onto the floor.

Rachel fell back into a fit of laughter, as she clutched her stomach for support.

They had been playing on the Xbox for two hours, all the while Rachel had completely defeated Puck at every single game. No one knew just how good Rachel was when it came to playing video games; as she was an only child, she had a lot of time to practise on her own.

"I think you just lost that bet Puck," Rachel giggled.

"I didn't know you were so good, I always used to beat you!" Puck pouted.

"I used to let you win, I felt bad if you had lost against a girl at that age, it would have damaged you for life," Rachel laughed sarcastically.

"Damn you," Puck stated.

"Round 12?" Rachel winked.

"Just this last one, I am determined to win at least one game," Puck said with concentration all over his face.

Picking up his controller, they began their next game. Rachel had shot Puck's character within the first twenty seconds of the game.

"Come on Puck, thought you wanted to at least win one game," Rachel winked.

"I'm pacing myself," Puck lied, as he gripped his controller harder and prepared to be beaten yet again.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Quinn looked around the secret garden, hands on her hips and her bangs falling over her glistening forehead. Nodding at the work she had done, she sat down onto the floor, which was now completely covered in blankets.

When she had got to the secret garden, which was two hours ago, she hadn't known where to begin. It only had two blankets over the two logs and a small rug laid out over the crunchy leaves. It wasn't exactly comfortable and if Quinn's plans went well, Rachel and herself would be spending a lot more time in here, so Quinn wanted to make it more like home; their home.

Now, as she sat on the blue blankets that covered the smooth floor, she thought back over what she had done to this gorgeous garden.

Along each of the walls, hers and Rachel's, she had pinned up some of her favourite photos. They were mostly random ones, of pretty flowers and beautiful landscapes, but then there was the one of Rachel, when they first showed each other their true passions. She looked shocked yet casual, the light hitting her features perfectly and her hair bunched up and falling over one shoulder. To Quinn, it was the best picture she had ever taken. Pinned up near Rachel's gate was the picture she had sent Quinn of the lonely sock, but Quinn had then pinned up one of her spare socks next to the picture, symbolising that Rachel would never be alone. Mixed among the random shiny pictures, were printed versions of Rachel's passion. Poems, short stories and words covered the sheets of paper that were carefully pinned up. Quinn deliberately pinned the sheet of paper that contained Rachel's paragraph about love next to her gate, so that every time she walked into the secret garden, she could read it and remind herself of how amazing Rachel was; not that she really needed reminding.

After she had finished decorating the fences, she moved onto the tree that hung over one half of the garden. It looked so bare and dull and Quinn wanted to bring it to life, for the trees sake and for hers and Rachel's sake too. It took her about an hour to cut out all the paper chains from coloured card. Now, lining the tree branches in beautiful patterns, were pink, purple, blue and turquoise paper chains in the shapes of stars. Quinn wanted to hang fairy lights through the branches, but until she thought of a way to get electricity down to the secret garden, paper chains would have to do.

Sweeping the floor free of leaves and odd twigs, Quinn made sure that the floor of the garden was smooth and level, before laying down six blue blankets and securing them down with large rocks in each corner. Now, you could sit anywhere and it would be comfortable.

Lying back down onto the blanket, Quinn placed her arms behind her head and looked up into the sky, letting the low lying sun's rays make the paper chains shine. Quinn was proud of how she had redecorated the garden, it felt more welcoming now, more Rachel and Quinn style. As she was day-dreaming into the sky, she thought about what she wanted to do next to the garden. She planned on getting new gates, as the gates that connected to their gardens now were rusty and stiff. Peering momentarily at her watch, she realised that it was getting late in the afternoon and she still had her History homework to do.

Sitting up on the soft blanket, she reached for her phone. She so desperately wanted Rachel to be here, to admire the work she had done and to enjoy the sky with her. She felt her heart immediately squeeze a little when she remembered that Rachel would be spending the day with Puck, but tried not to let it get to her too much, as they were just friends right?

As Quinn opened up her messages, she thought to herself, "one text won't hurt".

Typing out a quick message, she sent it to Rachel, before unwillingly leaving the secret garden and running back to her house, having just left her home.

As she approached her house, she thought back over the text she had just sent and hoped to the angels above that it didn't sound to desperate or forward. Quinn just didn't feel like she could contain her emotions much longer. On the text that Quinn had sent, she had deliberately placed a small, but hugely symbolic 'x' at the end, hoping that Rachel would appreciate it and treasure it as much as Quinn does.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

When Rachel had beaten Puck at every single game that they had played, Puck admitted defeat and gave up. They made some popcorn and settled for watching movies instead, so they migrated to his room. Now, as the credits from 'Get Smart' rolled down the screen, Puck shifted a little.

At the beginning of the movie, Rachel had moved so that she could lay her head on Puck's chest facing the screen, as it was more comfortable than leaning on the headboard of Puck's bed. For Rachel, this was nothing but a comfortable position for watching TV, but for Puck, it was a position that ignited so many feelings in him that he thought he was going to explode.

As Puck moved a little, this stirred Rachel and she lifted her head from his chest.

"Sorry, are you uncomfortable?" Rachel asked politely.

"No, no, it's fine, just, umm, I've got a dead arm," Puck laughed nervously.

"Oh, I hate it when that happens, I'll move," Rachel said sympathetically and moved so that she was sat up next to a laying Puck.

Puck missed Rachel's head on his chest immediately. Closing his eyes for a second, he thought over things in his mind. If he just told Rachel how he felt, surely that would be better? Having everything in the open couldn't be that bad. Even if Rachel didn't feel the same way, at least she would know how Puck felt. Opening his eyes again, he moved further up the bed, so that he was sitting next to Rachel.

"So, what movie next?" Rachel smiled, while giving a little yawn.

Puck took a deep breath and prepared for what was probably going to be the most embarrassing conversation of his life.

"Actually, I was wondering if we could just talk," Puck smiled uneasily.

As Rachel turned, so that she could face Puck more easily, she realised how close she was to the boy and couldn't tell if she was uncomfortable with the proximity or excited by it. If she had to say, she would probably go with the first one.

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Rachel smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes once again.

Rachel noticed that Puck's breathing wasn't as even as it should be.

"Umm, us, me, umm, you," Puck stuttered.

Rachel laughed uneasily.

"Okay, in English?" Rachel tried to make the conversation more light-hearted, as she didn't think she was going to be comfortable with where this conversation might lead.

"Umm, I wanted to talk about us. Do you feel as though our relationship is a little different now? Seeing as we're older and stuff," Puck said quietly, not being able to meet Rachel's eyes.

Rachel definitely felt as though something was different, but not on her part. Puck's behaviour around Rachel didn't go unnoticed by the brunette. She could tell that Puck felt something different to her, but as the afternoon drifted on, Rachel soon realised that her feelings were completely friendly towards the boy; nothing more. She had sort of regretted coming over to Puck's as soon as he had explained the controls of the game to her, even though she had already known the controls off by heart. He had held her hands over the controller as he went through each button and what it did, but he held them much too passionately to be just friendly.

"Umm, not really," she lied, "you?"

Puck hung his head.

"I… I… think I might like you," he whispered.

Rachel had heard, but needed time to think.

"Sorry, what did you say, I didn't hear you?" she asked, pretending to not have heard him.

"I think I may like you more than a friend now Rachel," Puck said a little louder, still not connecting his eyes with Rachel's.

Silence filled the room, as Rachel thought of a reply. She didn't feel the same, but Puck was so special to her, she didn't want to ditch him harshly, so she would have to be careful about the way she let him down.

She reached over and took both of Puck's hands in her own, stroking her thumb over the back of his right hand.

"Puck, look at me," she said softly.

So he did. Slowly lifting his head, he was met with those eyes that would continue to captivate him every time.

"I am flattered that you feel that way about me, but I don't know how to say this without hurting you," she nibbled her bottom lip, "I don't feel the same way. I really like you as a friend, you're like one of my best friends, but I don't think I could ever see you in a different light. One day, I know that a girl is going to be so special to you; she is going to love you just as much as you love her. I promise."

Puck sniffed a little, determined not to cry in front of Rachel.

"Don't worry, I wasn't really expecting you to like me back in the same way," Puck nodded to himself, "but I am glad that I have said it, I don't feel like I am hiding away anymore."

Rachel smiled, as did Puck.

"Well, this has changed nothing. We can still have fun right? Still have a laugh and take the piss out of each other. We need to find you a girlfriend though," Rachel joked, as she disconnected their hands.

Puck nodded. Inside, he knew that it would take a little while to move on from Rachel, but in his mind, she would always be his special friend; always. When you have liked someone for a long time, they are always going to be unique to you no matter what. Seeing them with someone else for the first time will hurt, but as life moves on, so do you. You always want them to be happy, always want them to be protected and you don't want them with someone who will make them sad. Puck would find it a little difficult to accept that Rachel will never be his, but he knew that if he could get someone else in his life, then maybe he could start moving on. At the end of the day, Puck sort of knew deep inside that it would never work; they were too close as friends for it to go any further. It all just takes time; as they do say that time is a healer.

"Hell yeah, well, and you," Puck winked, as he got up off the bed to switch off the TV.

Rachel laughed but then stopped suddenly, when she fully took in what Puck had said.

"Wait, what?" Rachel asked.

"Well, you said we need to get me a girlfriend and I said, and you," Puck said, with his back to the girl, turning off the TV.

"And me what? I need to get a girlfriend?" Rachel asked, completely confused and a little flabbergasted as she never thought Puck would be saying that.

"Yeah, well, I think there is one girl in particular that I think would be suitable for you," Puck said, as he made his way back to sit on the end of the bed, opposite Rachel.

Rachel went bright red. In her mind, she knew one girl that would be suitable for her too, but this girl was incredibly hard to decipher and Rachel didn't know if the feelings were mutual.

"Umm, who would that be then?" Rachel asked, trying to act nonchalant.

"I think you know," Puck winked.

Rachel internally agreed; of course she knows.

"No I don't," Rachel said simply.

"Oh, you do," Puck laughed.

"Umm, no," she tried to play the oblivious victim card.

"You know," he pushed further.

"I really don't," Rachel slumped, getting a little tired of this argument.

"You really do," Puck winked once again.

Rachel got bored of this game and just stared at him, expressionless.

"Oh come on Rachel, the way you look at her, the way you smile each time she waves at you, the way that you immediately brighten up when she comes into Glee Club?" Puck said obviously.

Rachel looked down at her hands and didn't say anything.

"Rachel it's okay. I have been sensing something for some time, but have kept my mouth shut. I was a little confused, as I thought you were straight but it doesn't bother me if you do swing the other way," Puck shrugged, "if anything, it's kind of a turn on."

Rachel reached over and swatted his shoulder, before returning to her previous position.

"I don't know which way I _swing_. I just know that I do, yes, have strong feelings for one girl, but that's just one girl Puck, how do I know that it isn't just some crush?" Rachel said worryingly.

Puck thought for a second.

"I'm not sure. Okay, have you liked guys in the way that you like _this girl _before?" Puck asked.

"Umm, as I come to think of it, no, I haven't," Rachel's eyebrows furrowed as she thought over it.

Puck nodded.

"Okay and do you find her physically attractive?" Puck asked once again.

Rachel immediately turned a dark red and instead of having to speak, she simply nodded a couple of times.

Puck chuckled in his throat, before Rachel leaned over and swatted his arm, but a little harder this time.

"Okay, okay! Right and is she all you can think about?" Puck finally asked, in all seriousness.

Rachel lifted so that she could finally meet the boy's kind eyes.

"Yes," she said weakly, "even when I try not to think about her, she's always there, taking over my thoughts, taking over my mind, taking over my heart."

Puck had a little, understanding smile forming on his lips.

"Well, I think you have your answer. This is no crush Rachel," Puck smiled.

Rachel took a deep breath and she nodded, as all this talking confirmed her previous thoughts. Even trying to hang out with Puck to see if maybe she could like him in a different way didn't take her mind off Quinn. She nodded to herself as she grabbed her phone.

"Oh, speak of the devil," Rachel laughed giddily.

Puck laughed along.

"It's her isn't it?" Puck smiled; glad to see Rachel so happy.

Rachel put down her phone quickly, before addressing Puck.

"Wait, we are talking about the same girl throughout all of this, aren't we?" Rachel asked.

Puck laughed.

"Yes, well, I hope we were. It's Quinn right?" Puck asked back.

Rachel just grinned happily, before going back to her phone.

"I'm just going to pop to the toilet when you are checking that," Puck shook his head, laughing at his friends antics.

Rachel didn't even hear Puck as she looked down at her phone's screen.

In bold letters, Quinn's name was sitting above a message. Smiling widely to herself, Rachel read on.

**Hey Rach. How has your day been? I've been in the secret garden for a bit, but it's not the same without you. Q x**

Rachel was grinning when she read Quinn's sentence of the secret garden not being the same without her there. She didn't think that Quinn knew just how much that one short sentence meant to her, until she read on and saw that little 'x'; the little 'x' that means so much to her. How can a little cross on a text message mean so much to someone? Rachel thought about the blonde's previous messages and remembered that Quinn had never put an 'x' before. With the 'x' and the blonde's sentence about the secret garden not being the same without Rachel being there, just made the brunette feel giddy with excitement and butterflies. Rachel let her thoughts wander away into the sky and she thought about what that 'x' would be like if it were a real kiss. What would Quinn's lips feel like? Are they warm or cold? Which way would she go in and would she open your mouth first or does she just peck for the first time? How long does she hold for? Is there a set time, or does she stay for as long as it feels right? Rachel questioned so much, sometimes too much, but she had never kissed anyone before, so she knew nothing about it, but that didn't mean that her curiosity about the matter hadn't enveloped her mind on numerous occasions. Unwillingly floating back into reality, Rachel jumped up from the bed, but felt a little faint from her emotions and steadied herself, before quickly jogging down to the bathroom door.

Knocking forcefully, Rachel waited outside, tapping her impatient foot up and down.

"Give me a minute," Puck shouted from the other side.

"Be quick, I need your help with something!" Rachel shouted urgently from the hallway.

Rachel heard Puck moving quickly around in the bathroom, before the bathroom door opened suddenly and Puck rushed out, but nearly knocked Rachel over. He hadn't known she was still waiting _right_ outside.

"Oh god, Puck, that's not nice," Rachel quickly pinched her nose and made a disgusted face before jogging back to his bedroom.

As an embarrassed Puck followed Rachel back to his down the hallway, he mumbled under his breath, "if you've got to go, you've got to go."

Walking in quickly, he saw Rachel pacing up and down his carpeted floor, slightly biting her fingernails.

"Okay dude, you've got to chill. What's on your mind?" Puck said casually, as he sat on his desk, watching Rachel slowly turn crazy.

"She texted me and told me that the secret gar… den, the den wasn't the same without me and then she put an 'x' on the end of the text. Also, at the charity run yesterday, when we were helping Bianca with her feelings for another girl, Quinn was giving her advice, but she was looking at me the whole time. What's that meant to mean? What does the 'x' mean? Also, ages ago when we were in the den, she left early when we were talking about love, she looked all flushed and sad. I don't know what messages I'm getting, I just don't know Puck," Rachel rambled on, finishing breathlessly.

Puck sat there wide-eyed and a little lost for words. Everything Rachel had said was either news to Puck or just plain random. Bianca had feelings for a girl? There was a secret den? Those questions could wait until another time though, he needed to help out his friend.

"Okay," he said slowly, "you really do remember all the little things don't you?"

"Only the things that mean something to me," Rachel carried on pacing.

Puck smiled knowingly, before carrying on.

"Okay, well, there do seem to be mixed messages on each of your parts. I am not sure Rachel, but you will never know unless you ask," Puck shrugged.

Rachel nodded.

"Exactly, there are mixed messages on her part as well! I knew it," Rachel said confidently.

Rachel stopped pacing and stood still, tapping her foot and glancing at her phone, which laid on the bed, before looking back to the floor.

"Answer these questions quickly okay?" Puck said to Rachel.

"Umm, okay?" Rachel's eyebrows furrowed.

"Rachel, do you want to see Quinn?" Puck said quietly into the room.

"Yes, all the time," Rachel sighed.

"Do you want to talk to her right now?" Puck asked.

"Yes, once again, I could talk to her every second if it was possible," Rachel hung her shoulders low.

"Do you really like her?" Puck said, but sighed a little himself, before getting back to the real job at hand.

"Yes, I have finally accepted this and yes, I really, really like her," Rachel said, as her heart ached at the words.

"Do you want to tell her how you feel?" Puck asked quickly.

"Yes, I think I do," Rachel said almost instantly, before her hand shot to clasp over her mouth, as she look wide-eyed at Puck, who was looking incredibly smug.

"Well then, what's stopping you Rachel?" Puck smiled.

"I… I… don't know. That quick-question game actually works?" Rachel said, still shocked at her honest answers.

"Evidently, yes," Puck laughed at his bewildered friend.

"What do I do?" Rachel started to smile, for the first time in twenty minutes, as her nerves started turning into excitement, butterflies and determinism.

"Exactly what you just said you wanted to do; tell her how you feel," Puck smiled, glad he has helped out.

"I can't believe this is happening," Rachel grinned.

Silence filled the room, as Puck hopped off his desk and made his way to a nervous but excited brunette and wrapped her in a friendly yet secure hug.

"I wish you luck Rachel and I hope that things turn out just perfectly for you," Puck said, as he felt her warmth envelope around him.

"What if she doesn't feel the same?" Rachel said worryingly into his shirt.

"Rachel, she has been giving you mixed messages for some time and to be honest, the way she looks at you and acts towards you is way more than friendly. I am just glad that she is a very decent person and I know that if anything happens, she will be the right person to treat you well," Puck explained, rubbing her back.

Rachel leaned back, ending the comfortable hug and faced her best friend.

"Thank you Puck," Rachel smiled, "for everything."

"It's been my pleasure, but if you tell anyone at school how soppy I have been, I will crush you," Puck joked.

"Of course Puck, of course," Rachel shook her head while laughing.

Rachel and Puck walked through his house and headed for the front door, before stopping to say their goodbyes.

"Right, when are you going to do it?" Puck smiled, as he opened the front door for Rachel.

"Tonight," Rachel said immediately.

"Don't rush it, don't panic and just tell her exactly how you feel. I have all my faith in you," Puck smiled proudly.

"Glad someone does," Rachel joked.

Walking out of the front door, Rachel started her journey home, before shouting over her shoulder to Puck, who was still standing in his doorway.

"Bye Puck, I'll text you later! Oh and say bye to Hank for me!" she shouted, before deciding to jog slowly home, as it would get her to Quinn faster.

Puck grinned to himself as he made his way indoors.

Sitting, with his tail wagging furiously, was Hank. Puck immediately bent down to give his lovable pet some much needed attention, before speaking his mind to the patient dog.

"She's one special chic, Hank. She can't be mine unfortunately, but she will always be my best friend, I know that for sure," Puck grinned, as he started to tickle Hank's stomach.

Hank looked up into his owners eyes and let his floppy tongue hang out, as he got his stomach rubbed affectionately. He loved Puck, he loved Puck a lot. Curling into his owner, it was almost as though he understood Puck's words, so he comforted the boy and let him talk to him until Condy and Puck's siblings got home. What are friends for right?

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Rachel was slowly walking up her garden, thinking through what she was going to say, she looked down at her phone and she hadn't received a reply from Quinn, when she sent her a text on the way home. It simply read; **Meet me in the secret garden at 6pm. R x**

Rachel was satisfied to put an 'x' as this text was probably the most important text she had sent in a long time. To be honest, she would have put a lot more x's if it wouldn't have looked slightly odd.

She knew that Quinn had been in the secret garden earlier today, so maybe she was still there, but she just hadn't heard her phone go off?

The evening sky was lovely tonight, a red tint brushing over the bottom half of the sky, as the stars started to appear as a blanket over the world. The moon was also accompanying Rachel tonight, guiding her to the secret garden. It almost seemed as though as had an audience, just for this special occasion.

Moving a couple of twigs, she finally reached her gate. The rusty old gate that would lead her to the most beautiful place she had ever known to exist, and hopefully would lead her to the most beautiful person she had ever known to exist.

Pulling out her phone, she sent one last text, but not to Quinn, it was to Puck, her trusty wingman.

**I'm about to go into the den. She hasn't replied, but I will just wait for her. I really hope this goes well. Thanks Puck. R**

Unbeknownst to Rachel, on the other side of the wall sat a nervous Quinn.

She had received the brunette's text about ten minutes ago, but didn't feel the need to reply. It was a statement not a question and if Quinn was being truly honest, she didn't know if she could reply, her fingers were too shaky. Why would Rachel want to meet her? For a chat, that would be nice. But Quinn was a little scared, because as soon as she starts to talk, she didn't know if she would be able to stop.

Grabbing her phone quickly, she sent a text to Santana.

**I'm meeting Rachel now in the secret den. She wants to meet. I might need to tell her now, in the secret den, it's our place. What if it doesn't go to plan? Q**

As Rachel stood fidgeting on the outside of the wall and Quinn sat silently on the log in the secret garden, both phones vibrated simultaneously in the palms of their owners.

**It will be fine Rachel, I believe in you and in her. Just tell her how you feel. P**

**It will. I know you Quinn, you will be perfect. Rachel is lovely too. Just tell her how you feel. S**

Quinn nodded determinedly and put her phone into her pocket and stood up, standing in the middle of the blankets, as the paper chains swayed about her shimmering blonde hair. On the other side, Rachel nodded almost identically and put her phone away before moving and holding her gates handle.

As Quinn was staring intently at Rachel's gate, she saw the handle start to turn and the rust slowly sprinkle off it. Hearing the familiar creek of the hinges, she saw the small elegant feet of the girl she would never stop being amazed by.

Rachel's eyes were adjusting to the different light, as the secret garden was only half covered, so the moon light was streaming in, as the red sky light made a sensational wave of colour throughout the garden. She could see Quinn standing in the middle of the newly laid blankets, as her eyes scanned the gorgeous paper chains. Stepping fully into the garden and closing the gate behind her, she finally took in all the new décor. She noticed the photographs and her stories. Her eyes were wide with amazement and her heart was beating too fast for her body to contain. It was all so perfect and Quinn had done all of this; for them.

Quinn watched Rachel intently, instantly becoming alert as she was now in the brunette's company. Even just seeing Rachel made Quinn swoon, so this was definitely urging her to tell Rachel how she felt.

Rachel took a little extra time admiring the work, as her mind ran over whether she could handle telling the blonde her exact feelings, or was it too much too soon?

As evening silence fell over them, with just the sounds of birds singing their night time songs, Quinn finally spoke up.

"Do you like it?" Quinn said softly.

That voice ran through Rachel like wild fire, igniting her heart and testing her urges.

"I don't like it," Rachel said with a smile, "I love it."

Quinn beamed at the words, before moving a little closer to Rachel, closing the gap.

"Do you want to sit down on the logs?" Quinn said politely.

Rachel slowly shook her head, before closing the gap further, as she didn't want to raise her voice too much.

Quinn became overly aware of their proximity and so desperately wanted to reach out and hold Rachel's hands, pull her close and claim her luscious lips with her own.

"No," Rachel said shakily, "I actually came here to talk."

Quinn's breath hitched in her throat, before she managed to choke out a sentence.

"I might have some things to say as well," Quinn said nervously.

Rachel nodded and Quinn waited for the brunette to speak up.

Rachel's mind was running on overload, but the most dominant thought that was running through it was Puck's voice soothing and calming her.

_Just tell her how you feel._

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	9. Chapter 9

**N/A **Hello my lovely readers. Where does the time go? Hope you have been alright :) Thank you as always for the reviews, favs and alerts; makes me one happy girl. If you are just along for the journey of reading this story, thank you very much; means more than you can imagine. Okay, I'll stop my emotional rambling… on with the show! (Well, story, but you get what I mean).

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>The air was becoming cold and this made Rachel shiver through her nerves and now the chills that were running down her spine. Quinn was only standing a couple of feet away, but this wasn't close enough for Rachel, she needed her and she needed her now. It had been too long; the feelings have been on her mind since she could remember. The goose bumps she would get when Quinn's skin came into contact with hers. The warmth she would get when she heard the girl's name. She wanted to tell the blonde, no, she needed to tell the blonde.<p>

Rachel dragged a shaky hand up to her ear, tucking her hair behind it and then lightly clearing her throat. Not looking into Quinn's eyes, but instead letting the moon reflect in her eyes, she spoke above the safe silence of the secret garden and Quinn's intrigued ears.

"Would you like me to go first or would you like to speak first?" Rachel said innocently, before finally meeting eye contact and her heart rate started to increase dramatically.

Quinn contemplated it deeply. Rachel's eyes were literally eating her alive. There was definitely something hidden within the depths of the chocolate orbs and Quinn had a feeling there was something completely different about the way Rachel's eyes were tonight, a good different, an intriguing different.

"You can go first," Quinn smiled sweetly.

Rachel smiled in return, trying to hide the nerves that were making her feel like she was going to pass out.

_Just tell her how you feel._

"Okay," Rachel nodded determinedly.

Quinn prepared herself. She had no idea what Rachel would have to say to her, but the attitude that Rachel was presenting was far from calm. Quinn could see that Rachel was thinking deeply and she looked incredibly fragile, but adorable at the same time.

"How long have we known each other Quinn?" Rachel said quickly, grabbing Quinn's hand in her own and stepping a little into Quinn's personal space.

Quinn could swear she was having a heart attack. The cold air suddenly felt like a much needed wave of oxygen and her heart beat was going out of control, just like it did every time Rachel was nearby. The soft skin of Rachel's hand in Quinn's supportive palm was more than either girl could handle at this moment in time.

Rachel needed to feel Quinn; to connect. Quinn's hand was just as hot as hers and the contact could almost spark off a fire.

Quinn thought about how long they had known each other; she didn't know whether to be scared or excited by the ambiguous question.

"Umm, about four years," Quinn smiled.

Rachel grinned when she saw the twinkle of the moon in Quinn's beautiful eyes.

"They have been the best four years of my life," Rachel whispered honestly into the open air.

Quinn looked intently into Rachel's eyes, absorbing her words and letting them warm her heart to its full extent.

"We've had our ups and downs," Quinn said, with regret written all on her face.

Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand attentively and then took the other hand in her hers, interlinking their fingers and dangling their hands in between them; her mind relaxing a little at the sensation.

"Let's just remember the ups and forget about the downs. They've still been the best four years of my life because I have known _you_," Rachel said quietly.

Quinn didn't know what to say. Rachel seemed to be so close, yet so far away. She wanted to hear what Rachel was going to say because her heart was fluttering at every minute that swept past, but at the same time, she just wanted to dive in and kiss the lips that she had dreamt of for four years.

"The past month or so have been the best of times, because I have had the privilege of getting to know the real Quinn. I have loved being part of something with you. This place, our secret garden, has helped me through so much; _you_ have helped me through so much. You shared your passion with me and I have never felt so wanted and respected. I felt safe enough to share mine with you, because you made me feel like I could be anyone or anything, that I didn't have to hide or pretend that I was someone I wasn't. You stood by me in Glee and you stuck up for me in front of Santana. You have given me advice when you also needed some. You took time to help me, when you needed some help. You have promised me things and you have made me feel beautiful, which I never thought I could. You have made me smile until my cheeks hurt and laugh until I couldn't breathe. You inspire me, because you have been so strong through a lot of things and the speech you made at the beauty pageant had me in tears; happy tears. I hope I have helped you a little as well, because I feel we work so well together, in all areas. You're my best friend Quinn. Also, your photos are amazing and… well… so are you," Rachel finished breathlessly, as a small, single, emotional tear ran down her cheek, before dipping under her chin, only to be swept away by the quick action of Quinn's soothing hand, before it reconnected with Rachel's.

Quinn's eyes were nearly overflowing with tears and as she blinked slowly, the couple of tears travelled down her own cheeks and she smiled through them, letting the words sink in and solve her own thoughts.

Rachel shuffled on her feet a little, but in the process she deliberately moved a little closer; always wanting to move that little bit closer.

"I don't know how these things go because I have never felt this way. I just know that I can't hold them back any longer. They have been on my mind for years, before I even really realised what they meant. I know that I am only ever me, when I am with you. I have never felt so special, wanted, loved, cared for and true. You are beautiful Quinn, so beautiful, inside and out. I am just going to say these words, because I need to, I want to and you deserve to know," Rachel paused a bit, steadying her breathing and spoke up barely above a whisper into the night time atmosphere, "I like you Quinn. I really like you."

Was it possible to faint from words? Quinn couldn't speak, she couldn't blink and she couldn't breathe. Letting the moon light shine Rachel's features and letting the gentle breeze fill her lungs, Quinn needed someone to wake her up, wake her up from this dream that was making her fall into a deep feeling of overwhelming joy and passion. Quinn let the tears fall freely now, not caring about her makeup or how she looked at all; Rachel thought she was beautiful. Rachel said that she needed to say those words; those three words that Quinn never imagined being said to her, by anyone, but especially by one Rachel Berry. The Rachel Berry that Quinn had fallen so deeply for.

Rachel moved so that they were practically flush against each other, before moving her right hand out of Quinn's and moving it to Quinn's jaw line and lightly turning so that the blonde was staring straight into her.

"Say something Quinn, please say something," Rachel said quietly.

Quinn couldn't even if she tried, she was over the moon. No, stuff that, she was so over the moon that she had exited the universe and entered a whole new world; a whole new world that was just filled with Rachel Berry and her words; the words that she could listen to for days on end and never bore of them.

"The moon," Quinn smiled through the last tear.

Rachel's eyebrows furrowed, as her lips couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"The moon?" Rachel questioned innocently.

"I feel like I am on the moon, Rach. I need you to come and join me on the moon," Quinn said quietly, as her emotions were pushing her head closer to the brunette's.

Time had slowed to a halt, as each second lasted a minute. As each breath lasted a lifetime. As each twinkle in each of the girl's eyes, lit up the night. And finally, as each beat of the girl's hearts, exploded into fireworks.

Quinn's eyes were still connected with Rachel's, not wanting to ever look away from the most entrancing site she had come to know. She was slowly moving her head forward, as Rachel did the same. Both girls knew what was happening and both girls couldn't be happier than in this moment right now. Neither knew how to kiss or what it felt like, but this felt right.

Quinn could feel Rachel's warm breath hitting her anticipating lips and it made them quiver in want. Rachel felt dizzy with feelings. She was here in their secret garden, feeling Quinn's hand in hers, as her other hand was still resting on Quinn's jaw line, feeling the blonde's head gradually move closer. Her smooth tongue slowly came out and moisturised her lips ready to be given some much awaited attention, but in doing so, the tip of it lightly came in contact with Quinn's top lip, which ignited the flame that was slowly building in both of them. That was the last spark; this was real.

"I like you too Rach, more than you know," Quinn whispered quickly, before she pushed away those millimetres of air that were keeping her from those enticing lips.

The world was turning around them, as their lips came in contact with each others. Rachel closed her eyes tightly and let her other senses take over. Quinn's warm lips were moist and soft against her own, it was amazing how just this small action, which meant so much to Rachel, could feel this good.

Quinn didn't know where she was, what she was wearing, what she looked like, if she was standing, falling or flying, she just knew that she was with Rachel in this very moment, kissing her lips for all they were worth.

Rachel broke contact for a split second, before missing the warmth immediately and diving back into the spin that was kissing Quinn Fabray. This time, she had parted her lips and used her tongue to lightly make contact with Quinn's lip, just as she had done before. Rachel had no clue was she was doing, she just knew that nothing had ever felt so right in her life than this.

Quinn's body was no longer made up of cells or membranes or whatever biological reasoning's that were behind the human body; she was now made up of goose bumps, shivers, fireworks and stars.

Quinn felt the tip of Rachel's tongue brush gently up against her lip and knew that once she took this next step, she would never be able to stop herself again.

Removing her hand from Rachel's, she moved both of her hands onto Rachel's perfect hips, before pushing further into the brunette tenderly, letting their bodies melt together in the most innocent yet passionate way.

Letting her lips fall open to reveal a gap of entrance, Quinn copied Rachel's actions and let her tongue explore Rachel's lips.

Neither girl knew when it began, but before they knew it, they were both entering each other's mouths with their needy tongues, dancing against each other and revelling in this completely new but addicting sensation.

Their breathing became jagged and their once silent voices were now letting out little, but audible moans deep in their throats. When you have waited for years to kiss someone you never thought you would, would you ever want to stop once you started? Both girls would say no, but as the need for air became essential, Rachel unwillingly parted away and gave her swollen and delightfully numb lips a last swipe over with her tongue.

Quinn's eyes slowly opened dazedly and she managed to capture Rachel giving her lips a last taste and she couldn't help herself; she jumped back in and gave the sensational lips one last kiss. Reluctantly pulling away and licking her own lips, she was still able to taste Rachel.

With Quinn's hands still on Rachel's hips, they let their hearts slow down and their breathing adjust back to normal, or what their minds thought was normal.

Not wanting to break the comfortable silence or the unforgettable moment, Rachel just lent her head to rest on Quinn's shoulder, snuggling nicely into Quinn's neck, before wrapping her arms around the blonde's slim waist and sighing contently.

Quinn grinned up to the moon, before placing her head to rest on smooth brown hair and inhaling the intoxicating perfume of which Rachel was wearing. Lifting her hands away from Rachel's hips, Quinn draped them around the brunette's back and squeezed her gently, never wanting to let go.

Rachel breathed in Quinn's scent and smiled to herself. She just had her first kiss, her first ever kiss, with the person she had dreamt of kissing for so long. It was better than she imagined. Of course she was nervous at the beginning, anyone would be, but when Quinn admitted that the feeling was mutual, it was all Rachel needed. Not knowing what to do or where to go, she just went with what her feelings were telling her and they were obviously telling her the right things because that felt incredible, no, mind blowing. Actually, there were no words to describe it. That was just a kiss, so Rachel couldn't even get her mind around what it would be like to feel Quinn's skin underneath clothes, but neither did she want to, as kissing the blonde was all she needed right now and if it came to it, all she would ever need.

Rachel began to shiver, but Quinn just held her closer, keeping her warm. Looking up to the moon, Quinn spoke up.

"I like the moon, we should come here more often," Quinn smiled.

Rachel giggled into Quinn's neck, before moving her head away slightly, lightly kissing Quinn's jaw, before standing in front of the blonde, arms still wrapped tightly round Quinn's waist.

"I'm never leaving," Rachel looked up into Quinn's eyes through her long eyelashes.

Quinn just let her smile turn into a grin, before laughing into the evening sky.

"I might have to leave because my parents will be wondering where I am," Quinn joked.

"True, same here actually," Rachel slumped a little.

Yet more silence fell upon them as they looked into each other's eyes. Quinn was first to disconnect eye contact, as she looked down to the ground beside them.

"I am not sure what happens now Rach, in terms of how we act or like, stuff," Quinn stuttered, suddenly blushing at the reality of what happened.

"But, you have had a girlfriend before, you know more than me," Rachel giggled light-heartedly.

Quinn turned her head away slightly.

"Umm, I wouldn't call her a girlfriend; she was just a summer fling. Plus, we never actually, you know, kissed," Quinn said quietly.

Rachel stepped back, releasing her grip on Quinn.

"That was your first kiss?" Rachel asked a little shocked. She had just assumed that Quinn had kissed someone before.

Quinn simply nodded a few times, meeting Rachel's eyes and giving the brunette a small smile.

Rachel just grinned before she couldn't contain her happiness and started to do a little dance. Not any normal dance; a Rachel Berry special. She put her hands down to her sides, pointing her hands outwards towards the sides and shrugged her shoulders up and down, while giving little twirls and grinning like a Cheshire cat. She didn't know if this could be classified as dancing, but it's what she felt like doing; it felt natural.

Quinn just adored the view, as she was thinking about how gorgeous Rachel looked tonight. As her thoughts were being taken over by Rachel once again, she remembered something from earlier.

"Oh!" Quinn said excitedly, which in turn made Rachel startle a little.

Rachel stopped dancing and looked at Quinn, before grinning because Quinn was grinning; it's just the effect they had on each other.

"Oh?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"I remember I have something for you," Quinn smiled embarrassingly.

"Oh!" Rachel grinned.

"My sentiments exactly," Quinn winked, before side walking her way to her gate.

"Where are you going?" Rachel said a little worryingly.

"To go and get your present, I'll be back in two minutes, okay?" Quinn smiled sweetly, before swooping out of the gate and running down her garden.

Rachel took these few lonely minutes to inspect the garden more closely and she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotions right now. Kissing under the moonlight and stars, in the secret garden, which was filled with stories and pictures; it couldn't be more perfect.

Rachel was in a world of her own, when Quinn appeared at the gate, making the little brunette jump, before relaxing as she was now with Quinn once again.

"You've really got to stop making me jump," Rachel laughed.

"Sorry," Quinn laughed, before moving further in and taking a seat on a log.

Rachel moved to sit next to Quinn and felt confident enough to sit as close as she could get.

"Okay, I know that these are two weeks early, but after I decorated the garden, I went home and felt like doing this for you, it felt like the right time and to be honest, it couldn't be a better time than tonight," Quinn grinned, before passing the pink box towards Rachel's lap.

Rachel took the box in her delicate hands and brushed over the top with her right hand.

"Go on, you can open it," Quinn giggled.

Smiling to herself, Rachel released the knot of the small bow that was tying the box together and slowly opened the lid. Immediately after she had taken in the sight before her, she let out a little squeal and gripped Quinn's knee to the left of her.

"Oh my! They're lovely Quinn!" Rachel grinned, before diving into the box and examining the first cupcake.

In two neat rows laid ten beautifully decorated cupcakes, each with a different word on them.

On the first row of the five pristine cupcakes, they read, "Imagination", "Love", "Friendship", "Dreams" and "Feelings". The second row read, "Touch", "Smell", "Think", "Laughter" and "Space". Each cupcake was unique, with different handwriting on each one, in different shapes and different colour icing.

Quinn smiled at her work, delighted that Rachel liked them.

"You remembered my words," Rachel said in awe, as she placed the cupcake back into the box and stared at them in complete wonderment.

"I always remember your words," Quinn smiled, as she wrapped her right arm around the back of Rachel and snuggled closer.

Each touch and nudge still ignited fires in both of the girls, but now they didn't feel like it wasn't right, they didn't feel they had to ignore the feelings anymore; if anything they were embracing the feelings and they were excited to see what this journey of emotions would bring for them.

"And I will always remember this moment, it has been amazing," Rachel smiled, as she lent her head onto Quinn's shoulder.

"Well, it's lucky I have bought my trusty camera!" Quinn grinned, as she pulled her camera from by her side and turned it on.

Rachel laughed.

"I don't need a picture to remember this moment, I have my memory," Rachel giggled.

"I want one," Quinn smiled intently, as she got up off the bench and kneeled down on one knee in front of Rachel.

"It looks like you're proposing," Rachel laughed.

"No, not yet," Quinn winked jokily.

Rachel silenced straight away. She smiled at Quinn, as the blonde went back to positioning her camera. She couldn't tell if Quinn was joking but with a hint of affection, or if she was completely joking. For now, she would forget about that thought and focus on having her picture taken.

Smiling proudly at the camera, as she held up her beautiful cupcakes, Rachel let the camera's flash take over the secret garden for a split second, before Quinn sat back onto the log and saved the picture in her favourite's folder.

"I actually better go now," Quinn laughed.

"Yeah, sure. My dad's will probably be wondering where I am too," Rachel smiled sweetly, as she packed the cupcake box back up carefully.

Quinn got up off the log with a little jump and stretched out into the sky, as she let out a little sigh. Rachel got up and started to walk to her gate slowly, admiring Quinn's work on the walls once again; this girl will continuously amaze her. Quinn followed Rachel to the brunette's gate and once Rachel started to turn the gate's handle, as it squeaked through the night air, Quinn placed her hands on Rachel's shoulders, as her camera dangled around her slender neck. Rachel turned around slowly, cupcake box still clutched in her grasp. She looked up into hazel eyes, as she smiled widely. Quinn released her light grip on the brunette and simply put her hands in her pockets, as she ducked her head a little.

"I just wanted to say night," Quinn said shyly, as she lent in and gave a quick, chaste kiss onto Rachel's soft cheek, before dashing away and making her way to her own gate.

Rachel blushed profusely; as she let the goose bumps engulf her. She would never get used to the sensation of Quinn kissing her.

"Night Quinn," Rachel said, as Quinn stood at her own gate.

Both girls gave little waves to each other, as they made their way into their own gardens, immediately missing the company of the other. Rachel dazedly walked back to her house, with her favourite cupcakes clutched to her chest. Quinn skipped back home, with her camera swinging around her neck and two of her favourite photos saved on it.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Rachel's dinner was going cold and sitting alone at her normal seat. Jason was reading the paper at the side near the sink, after just finishing the dishes, as Michael sat next to Rachel's place and scrolled down his phone, replying to all his work messages begrudgingly.

The silence was finally broken, as the back door burst open with a blushed and grinning Rachel, clutching a box like it was her lifeline.

Jason placed his paper down onto the kitchen counter with a startle and looked a little questioningly at his daughter, while panting a little from shock. Michael was too interested in his phone to even notice the cold air rush in from the outside, or the loud bang the back door had made from hitting the kitchen counter behind it.

Rachel closed the door quietly and turned and just smiled sweetly at her daddy, as she tried to say sorry with her big owl eyes.

"Rachel, it's 7:45pm, you should have at least texted me to tell me you were going to be late. I still thought you were at Puck's," Jason shook his head a little.

Michael finally realised that someone else was in the room, as he placed his phone onto the kitchen table and watched his husband talk with their daughter. He would rather let Jason deal with this one.

"Sorry," Rachel ducked her head as she spoke to the ground, "I came back when you and dad were out and then went out to the secret garden to meet Quinn."

"Well, for a start, you should always let me and your dad know where you are. And secondly, you should let us know how late you are going to be, your dinner has gone cold now hunny," Jason said with a shrug. He couldn't help but call his daughter hunny or sweetheart, he didn't want to sound too mean; he was a big softie really.

"I'm really sorry daddy. Today has been a little… hectic but good, but just busy and… stuff," Rachel stuttered, as she felt herself getting a little flustered thinking back over the past hour.

Michael raised an eyebrow at his daughter, as Jason internally analysed her behaviour. Rachel sat down at her place at the table, before slowly placing the box next to her plate. She picked up her fork and started to poke the substance that was sitting coldly on the plate.

"I'll heat it up in the microwave for you," Jason laughed a little.

"You knew he wouldn't actually make you eat that," Michael grinned at Rachel, as she grinned back.

"Of course he wouldn't, couldn't let your beloved daughter starve," Rachel smiled big-headedly.

"I would have," Michael mumbled, while chuckling.

"What dad?" Rachel questioned.

"Nothing sweetheart," Michael grinned.

"Michael, I heard it," Jason said sternly, as he got Rachel's piping hot meal from the microwave.

Placing the meal down in front of Rachel, she immediately began to tuck in, as Jason took the seat next to his cheeky husband, before sipping the tea he had just made.

"So, what did you and Quinn get up to in the secret garden? You spend a lot of time down there," Jason smiled, gripping his mug of tea, letting it warm his aging hands.

Rachel stopped chewing and swallowed it audibly, before smiling to her dads and sipping her glass of juice, giving herself time to think.

"Um, we just chat and have a laugh really, whatever friends do," Rachel smiled, before quickly going back to eating her meal.

"Whatever friends do? Surely you should know," Michael laughed light-heartedly at his daughter.

"Well, you know, I do know, but we just chat, laugh and I sometimes write, while she takes photos; she likes photography," Rachel smiled uneasily, realising she needs to keep calm.

She was going to tell her dads about her feelings for Quinn, but having to tell them tonight seemed a little too overwhelming right at this moment in time.

"Sounds lovely," Jason smiled.

Rachel just smiled up at him, as she shovelled the rest of her meal into her mouth, before washing it down with the last of her blackcurrant juice and placing her cutlery hastily down on her plate.

"Done," she grinned.

As Rachel went to get up from the table, Jason and Michael both spoke up at the same time.

"Rachel," they both said simultaneously.

Jason looked to Michael and nodded.

"Sit down a minute sweetheart," Michael said calmly.

Rachel cautiously sat back down and picked up her fork and started to make little patterns in the left over sauce on her plate, to distract her from the awkward conversation that she knew was going to come.

"We just wanted to have a little chat, about some stuff," Jason smiled.

"Okay," Rachel said quietly.

Michael sighed a little, not really knowing how exactly to go about starting a conversation about this.

"Quinn seems like a lovely girl, we were just thinking that you should invite her round sometime for a proper dinner," Michael grinned.

Rachel looked up into her dads eyes, placing the fork back down.

"That was all the chat was about?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"Well, not really, but it's a way to break the ice right?" Michael smiled with a shrug.

Jason just rolled his eyes, before clasping his hands in front of him and taking over.

"Rachel, we think that you are proving to be a lovely young lady. You have come out to us about your true passion and we have accepted that and embraced it and it's proven to make you a much happier girl, so we have liked that. Quinn is all you have seemed to talk about lately. For example, you were going to Puck's, and by god, you looked miserable this morning, we wondered if it was about yesterday and Bianca, but then you come home after being with Quinn and you are a different girl, you are happy, alive and smiling all the time," Jason smiled as he talked.

Rachel unconsciously started to grin as the blonde's name was mentioned.

"I don't understand where you're getting at," Rachel played dumb, of course she knew where they were getting at.

Michael looked to Jason, as Jason looked to Michael. Jason nodded towards Michael, trusting his husband to take this one.

"Okay," Michael started, "are you banging Quinn?"

"Dad!" Rachel's mouth fell agape and all her dignity fell to the floor and her embarrassment level could not get higher.

"Michael!" Jason swatted his arm, hard.

Michael giggled to himself, as he took in his husband's and daughter's faces.

"I'm just joking! Jeez!" Michael shook his head, shaking off his last laughs.

"Okay, well, after your dads completely childish question, what we really wanted to know," Jason cleared his throat, before looking with warm eyes at Rachel, "is there anything going on between you and Quinn?"

The room fell silent, as Michael finally composed his posture and had seriousness on his face, as did his husband. Rachel still felt embarrassed from her dad's question, but was now contemplating whether or not to tell her dads just yet. She hadn't even asked Quinn what was going to happen, or how they were going to go about things. As she ran through her thoughts, her eyes fell upon the box next to her. She started to grin and all her pestering thoughts were soon taken over by Quinn. She nodded to herself, as she addressed her dads.

"I know I was acting a bit off this morning and I know that I spend a lot of time in the secret garden with Quinn, and it wasn't until recently that I knew what all my emotions were telling me. I don't know what's going on, I don't know how to tell you everything and I don't know if I will tell you tonight, but just to say that I am extremely happy and," Rachel paused, as she rubbed her hands together slightly, feeling herself becoming a little nervous, but she went with her gut instinct, "yes, I think that something is going on between me and Quinn."

Jason was smiling at his daughter, still finding it amazing that she seemed so small and petite but could address serious situations with such maturity; he sometimes underestimated her. Michael was smiling, but also had many meandering thoughts floating through the clever mind of his, which he would talk about with his husband at a later date.

"You _think_ something is going on?" Jason furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yes, it's slightly confusing at the moment, as we have only just expressed our feelings," Rachel ducked her head as she felt the blush creep up her cheeks.

Jason couldn't help but clap and let out a little squeal. To Jason, it didn't matter whether Rachel liked boys or girls, but he had always thought Rachel may prefer the female species, as she had never really been interested in boys in such a way that showed the behaviour she displays when she is around girls; especially Quinn.

"No worries sweetheart, just come and talk to us whenever you're ready, we are just happy if you are happy okay?" Michael smiled.

"Thank you dad, I am so lucky to have you two as parents, being so accepting and things," Rachel smiled, with a small tear in her eye.

"What are parents for?" Jason nodded.

"True, but some people don't get this sort of acceptance, so I am not taking it for granted, but I am just extremely happy right now," Rachel grinned, "I'm going to go and get ready for bed now, I have school tomorrow."

"Okay," Michael smiled back.

"Oh hunny, what's in the box?" Jason said quickly.

As Rachel was making her way out of the kitchen, she just spoke over her shoulder.

"They are cupcakes from Quinn, with words that mean something to me on each of them," she smiled, before going up the stairs with a grin permanently fixed on her now kissed lips.

Hearing their daughter go into the safety of her room, Jason carefully opens the lid of the box and peers in. Taking in the delicate decorations and writing on the cupcakes, Jason just grinned madly to himself, loving the thought and time that went into making them. He was fond of Quinn already and he hadn't really met her properly yet, except for an hour yesterday.

"They're gorgeous Michael," Jason cooed at the little cupcakes.

"They are," Michael smiled.

"You aren't happy for her?" Jason questioned his husband.

"No, I definitely am. I am just a little worried, a little protective of her, you know," Michael said quickly, before walking over to the sink and gulping down a glass of water.

Jason sighed a little, before getting up and walking over to the sink and hugging Michael from behind.

"Mike, what happened to you won't happen to Rachel, she has lots of friends who love her and she has us, nothing will happen to her, I promise," Jason said gently into Michael's ear.

Michael turned around in Jason's arms and kissed Jason on the forehead, as Jason was a couple of inches shorter.

"I know, but my experiences have scared me Jason, they have made me a different person and it has taken a lot for me to move forward from my past, I just don't want Rachel to have any of the pain that I had," Michael sniffed, trying to hide back the tears that were trying to escape. Michael was more of the man in the relationship, whereas Jason let his emotions go whenever he felt like it.

Jason nodded, as he went to tidy up the table.

"We are here to protect her Michael, that's what a father does, and hell, she has two," Jason smiled, reassuring Michael.

Michael let out a little laugh at his husband, as he went over to help clear away.

Jason was moving Rachel's cupcakes to the fridge as he stopped what he was doing, and turned to Michael with a little pout on his lips; now that's where Rachel got it from.

"Hey Michael, how come you never make me cupcakes?" Jason asked quietly.

"You never ask me to," Michael deadpanned.

"But I want cupcakes like Rachel gets," Jason smiled a little.

"You are jealous of your daughter because she gets cupcakes?" Michael questioned, with a raised eyebrow.

"A little, you should make me some cupcakes," Jason whined jokily.

"I can't believe we're even talking about this," Michael shook his head with a chuckle, "anyway, you're more of a woman in this relationship, so you should make the cupcakes."

"Why?" Jason frowned.

"Because the woman belongs in the kitchen," Michael winks cheekily.

"You didn't!" Jason gasped, as he grabbed the tea towel and started to try and hit Michael, as Michael ran away laughing to himself.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Quinn quietly made her way into her kitchen, there was no one to be found. She couldn't get the smile that was formed on her lips to go away, neither did she want to.

Quinn made her way over to the sink and quickly drunk a whole glass of water, gasping at the end of the refreshing drink. Wiping her soft hand over her wet lips, she made her way down the hallway, checking in each room to see if she could find anyone; no one was there.

Jogging up the stairs, taking two at a time as she was still on cloud nine from having kissed Rachel, she made her way down the long hallway, leading to her stairs up to the top floor. Quickly walking past the rooms, she heard someone in her dad's office, typing away. She hadn't realised that anyone was home, but assumed that her dad must be here.

Slowly opening the office door, she saw Tony sitting at his desk, typing an obviously urgent message out on his computer, and completely oblivious to his daughter standing in the doorway.

"Hey dad," Quinn said happily.

Tony jumped a little in his seat at the sudden intrusion, but a graceful smile took over his mouth when he saw Quinn standing there, camera round her neck; where else would it be?

"Oh, hello sweetheart. Sorry, I didn't hear you get home," Tony said apologetically.

"No worries, are you busy working then?" Quinn said politely, as she made her way further into the warm office and sat down on a chair, opposite the desk.

"Yeah, working on a Sunday is the worst. I just want to relax, but I have got to get this report off to my manager before tomorrow morning," Tony sighed, before rubbing his temple.

"Dad, you need time to relax as well remember," Quinn said, frustrated at the pure amount of work her dad seems to go through.

"I know sweety, I know," Tony smiled warmly.

Tony went back to typing, but he could no longer concentrate now his favourite person was in the room.

"Oh, would you like some dinner? I can go downstairs and conjure something up," Tony asked.

Quinn thought about it and eating right now was the last thing on her mind. She would have something later before bed, even though her dad didn't really like her eating right before sleeping as it can make you ill.

"No thanks, I will have a snack later. Where's mom anyway?" Quinn asked, realising that her mom was not home once again.

"Out with her friends," Tony said simply.

"Again?" Quinn joked.

Tony just laughed along, but his smile didn't reach his eyes and his laugh wasn't from his stomach.

"Yeah, something about a fashion week coming up and she needs to organise some things. She might be going away in a couple of months, for a week or so, to some fashion convention in Paris, so it will just be me and you kiddo," Tony smiled.

"I don't mind, I don't mind at all," Quinn grinned.

Tony rested his worn hands on his desk and looked at Quinn.

"So, how has your day been? After I got back from picking your mom up, you were out. So, I decided to work up here, but I think I did hear you come back in and do some stuff in the kitchen before running out to the garden again. Then you came back for about two minutes, before running back out to, where was it again? Oh yes, the garden," Tony laughed cheerfully.

Quinn just blushed under the statement and couldn't help but laugh along.

"I just love the garden okay?" Quinn grinned happily, before ducking her head.

"Is it just the garden you love?" Tony bent his head a little to look into Quinn's eyes, as her head was still at an angle.

"You know it's not. Oh, I also failed at the whole Rachel-free-day thing," Quinn laughed, while the blush still crept up her cheeks.

"This is going to sound really childish, but," Tony stood up from his chair and started to poke out his tongue and dance around in circles, "I told you so!"

Quinn burst into giggles at her dad's antics and tried to calm down, as he sat back down, grinning like the little boy he was inside.

"Come on dad, how old are you?" Quinn laughed.

"You have to grow old, but you don't have to grow up," Tony winked.

Quinn just nodded and clapped her hands.

"Touché," Quinn smiled.

"So, how was your day? As I'm sure you have something to tell by the fact that you haven't stopped smiling since you got through that door," Tony lent forward on the desk, ready to listen.

Quinn took a deep breath and let the smile stay on her face as she told the story of her day to her dad.

"Okay, well, when you went to pick up mom, Santana came over for a surprise visit. I ended up telling her what I told you about the way I felt for Rachel and she was amazing dad, she helped me through it and she gave me some advice, plus she also made me laugh, which was nice. Then, when she left, I ran to the secret garden and took some decorations and blankets and redid the whole place and now it looks great, if I may say so myself," Quinn giggled, "I also printed off some of Rachel's stories and took some of my favourite photos and lined the walls of the secret garden with our passions, making it our home. Then I came back and made some cupcakes, because, well, basically we had this little bet thing and now I have to make cupcakes for her each month and even though they were early, it felt like the right time, you know? Then when I was sat at home in the living room, she texted me saying that she wanted to meet me in the secret garden, so I rushed out there, needing to see her and hear her. Then, well, then it went crazy. Like, it was better than I ever imagined it. It was like fireworks mixed with marshmallows. Like little puppies with sparkles. We just stood there and she said she needed to tell me some things and I also had in my mind, stuff that I wanted to tell her. I won't say everything, but suffice to say, she feels the same way about me. She likes me dad! She really likes me! And then, we kissed; my first kiss. I don't know if that's too much information for a dad to hear, but yeah, I am kind of on cloud nine right now and I won't be down for some time, just to let you know."

Quinn finished her ramble of words a little breathlessly and just collapsed back into her chair, letting her head fall back and look at the ceiling, the whole time her smile was still there.

"Wow, you are so whipped," Tony mumbled.

"Dad! I heard that," Quinn quickly snapped back up, giving her dad an evil stare, before poking her tongue out and collapsing back down.

Tony stopped chuckling and cleared his throat.

"No, in all seriousness, I am really happy for you. I am glad you have found someone that can make you feel that special. If Rachel makes my daughter feel special and loved, then why wouldn't I be happy about that? Plus, the whole kissing thing, maybe you should keep that under wraps, but just to say that you should take things slow, okay. I am not going to have the whole birds and the bees talk, because I know you are sensible, but I just want you to be safe and not take things as a joke," Tony smiled wisely at his smiling daughter.

Quinn didn't speak; she just looked on in awe, so overwhelmed to have such an accepting and wise father to look up to.

"Umm, Quinn? Are you going to cry?" Tony asked calmly.

"No," Quinn choked out, wiping furiously at her watery eyes.

Tony just chuckled before leaning over his desk and squeezing Quinn's hand.

"I love you Quinn," Tony whispered.

"I love you too dad," Quinn said comfortably, before letting go of his protective hand.

Tony just cleared his throat and sat up in his chair.

"Right, you better go and start getting all your school things ready for tomorrow and remember, don't have a late night, because you will regret it in the morning," Tony said.

Quinn rolled her eyes playfully, getting up off the chair and making her way into the hallway and heading for her stairs.

"Yes dad," she said sarcastically, as she walked up to her room.

As soon as Quinn quietly closed her bedroom door, she immediately commenced in a full on happy-dance; sliding round her bedroom floor, hip-bumping her chest of drawers before twirling and jumping. Half way through her dance, she lightly flung her camera onto her bed, so she could really get into the feeling of dancing freely, with no weight on her shoulders and her heart full of juicy berries.

As she was mid-twirl, she completely froze as her eyes looked far out of her window and landed on the small figure of Rachel, standing in her own window, looking utterly and completely amused; a grin forming her lips and her hands on her hips.

Quinn just burned bright red and wondered how long Rachel had been watching her. How much can Rachel see of Quinn's bedroom?

Quinn straightened out her top and simple raised her hand, giving a little but significant wave and a cute smile, before quickly ducking away out of view and collapsing on her bed in utter embarrassment.

"Oh god," Quinn whined, "kill me now!"

Over the other side of the garden, stood a laughing Rachel, who had just witnessed the _whole_ of Quinn's dance and found it beyond adorable.

Walking back over to her bed, she quickly sent out a text to said blonde, before making a phone call to one Noah Puckerman.

**I think you should dance for me every night; I was enjoying that. R x**

Letting the text get sent off, she put her phone up to her ear and listened to the mind-numbing dial tone, waiting for Puck to answer.

"Hey, you've reached Puckasaurus," Puck exclaimed down the line.

"You still use that to greet people?" Rachel laughed.

"Hey Rachel! How was your… wait, yes I do use that because it's freaking awesome, you dissing it?" Puck said jokily.

Rachel giggled.

"No, no, I would never do that to you Puck," Rachel said sarcastically.

"For sure you wouldn't. Anyway, as I was saying, how was your day after you left? How did it go? Spill all," Puck said confidently.

"You do know you just sounded like a really girly girl getting ready to gossip," Rachel laughed.

"I did not!" Puck said, a little too high pitched.

"You just kind of proved my point there," Rachel joked.

"Damn you Berry, anyway, like I asked, how did it go?" Puck asked, with more masculinity in his voice.

There was a silence over the phone, as Rachel just smiled to herself, before answering.

"It was amazing Puck," Rachel said quietly.

She heard Puck sigh with relief on the end of the line.

"Oh thank god. I knew it would go okay, but there's always that doubt in mind isn't there?" Puck said.

"You're telling me," Rachel laughed.

"So, you can tell me more tomorrow at school, but she feels the same right?" Puck asked with interest.

"Yes, she definitely feels the same," Rachel grinned into the phone.

Puck thought over things, before gasping into the speaker.

"You guys kissed didn't you?" Puck asked.

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows.

"How the hell did you guess that from just listening to me?" Rachel said in shock.

"I get you Rachel, plus, you are so damn obvious," Puck laughed.

"Fair enough, anyway, yes we did and I can't tell you how incredible it was, even though that might be hard for you to hear," Rachel said, remembering to go lightly on the subject when talking to Puck.

"Rachel, you don't have to be careful about what you say. It will take time for me to get over it, but to be honest, I am a strong boy and I am sure I will manage, plus, just imaging you two kissing will surely get me through this troubling time," Puck winked, but realised that he was on the phone and laughed instead.

"Puck! That's me and Quinn you're talking about," Rachel said defensively.

"Yeah, I know," Puck joked.

"Damn you Puck, stop imagining me and Quinn kissing, it's wrong," Rachel said, as she too began to laugh.

"Fine, but telling a guy to stop imagining two girls kissing is an incredibly hard thing to make happen," Puck chuckled.

"Whatever," Rachel ended it with a laugh.

"Anyway, I am really happy that it worked out okay, you deserve it," Puck said a little more meaningfully.

"Thank you Puck, it means a lot," Rachel smiled into the phone.

"Anyway, I got to go. I have to put Jack and Lucy to bed, as my mom is a little tired," Puck said.

"Okay, well have a nice night Puck, see you tomorrow," Rachel said happily.

"Night Rachel," Puck ended his side of the conversation.

"Night Puck," Rachel then ended hers.

With the phone call ended, Rachel got ready for bed, not before updating her Facebook status to read; "_Had the best day ever…"_

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

When Quinn had received the text from Rachel, she hadn't felt the need to reply, mostly from the fact that she was completely still from embarrassment and also the intense blush from the fact that Rachel wanted her to dance for the brunette more.

As said brunette was on the phone to Puck over in the Berry house, Quinn had decided to text Santana, knowing that if she phoned the girl, she would not be off the phone until two in the morning and to be truthful, Quinn was insanely tired from the whirlwind of a day.

**Santana, it went amazingly. Q **

Almost immediately, Quinn got a reply.

**You serious? What did she say? Ahhh! I am so happy right now, even though you can't tell anyone that. S**

**She said more than I can convey on a text message, but let's just say that she likes me back and has done for a long time. Also, we kissed. Q**

**Okay, I will admit it, I am grinning like a freak over here, but I am just really happy for you Quinn. You deserve this. Plus, kissing her is pretty awesome right, just imaging it is making me think that you two are gunna be a pretty hot couple. S**

Quinn laughed at Santana's back-handed compliment.

**Kissing her was more than awesome. Anyway, who says she wants us to be a couple? Q**

**Quinn! Stop doubting yourself. You really need to get some confidence. She says she likes you, she kisses you and she is totally whipped for you, as you are for her. It is written in the stars that you two will become a couple. S**

**I want to be, majorly. But we have to remember, I know what I am, I have been out since summer, Rachel isn't necessarily a lesbian, this could just be an insanely big crush. I am just being careful San; I don't want to be hurt or to hurt her. Q**

**Okay, I get you. For now, I believe things are going on the right track and I will be with you every step of the way. See you tomorrow Quinn. S**

**Thanks Santana. Night. Q**

With that, Quinn got ready for bed and checked her Facebook. Seeing Rachel's status she couldn't help but grin madly at the screen and press that all so simple 'like' button, but a 'like' could never be enough for how much she liked that status. Not wanting to make it obvious, Quinn wrote out her own status, before posting it off into the virtual world. It simply read; _"I had the most amazing time on the moon today."_ She knew that most people would think she was going mad and wouldn't understand it, but that didn't matter to her, as she knew one person in particular would understand it and that was all that mattered to her.

Closing off her laptop, Quinn snuggled down into her bed to let sleep take her away to cloud nine, not that she had ever left it.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	10. Chapter 10

**N/A **Ello lovely ones! How is everyone? Hope life is treating you well. Okay, I am SO sorry about the ridiculous amount of time it has taken me to update and I would have a legitimate excuse and say that something had happened and I had literally no time, but I would be lying and I don't do that. So, basically I was on Easter Holidays for two weeks and to be honest, I just really didn't have inspiration to write, which made me sad, but that's the case. I have then been back at school and got my A Levels coming up, so bit stressed about all that, but yeah. I also spent a lot of time reading other people's fanfics and by god; some of you out there are amazing writers! So, this evening I actually suddenly had the urge to write, so here it is! :) I just didn't want to write when I didn't have any motivation, because it wouldn't be fair to the story (that may sound weird, but it made sense in my head).

Once again, sorry! :(

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the last chapter and here's chapter 10!

* * *

><p>When Rachel had woken up on Monday morning, she hadn't known whether to be excited, nervous, and anxious or a mixture of all three emotions. The last time she saw Quinn was when she spotted her dancing in her bedroom, but the last time she <em>properly<em> saw her, she had kissed her; for the first time. It was one of the most memorable and emotion stirring times of her life, but she wouldn't have changed it for the world.

As she was brushing through her hair that morning, she looked into her mirror and studied her face, wondering why such a beautiful girl like Quinn would like an average looking girl like her. Last night, she spilled all of her thoughts and emotions to Quinn, telling her exactly what she was thinking, but she realised only this morning that she never actually gave time for Quinn to explain to her why she liked her so much. Rachel was confident in most things, as she was brought up that way, but when it came to looks or intimate aspects of life, of which included her body, she was incredibly insecure, but no one ever knew, as no one has ever got close enough to her to find out. She wasn't completely happy with the way she looked, as she always thinks there are things that she would want to change, but she doesn't think too much into it, as everyone has something they would want to change about their body's right?

Pulling into the parking lot of the school and carefully parking her car, she sighed nervously, glancing into her mirror and fixing her fringe. Locking her car and walking out onto the track and heading towards the bleachers, she just hoped that the person she was going to meet had received her text earlier that morning.

Planting herself down onto the cold, metal of the bleachers, she looked around, trying to spot any sign of the boy. It was half an hour before school actually started, but she needed to speak to him. Rachel let her leg bounce up and down nervously, as she played mindlessly with her long, brown hair. She hadn't actually spoken to him for quite some time, but when they did chat, they always got along and had a good time. She would say that he came after Puck and Kurt in her list of guy friends.

Looking up from where she was fiddling with a stray thread on her coat, she spotted the boy she had been waiting for.

Walking briskly across the empty track, Finn made his way over to where Rachel was perching on the bleachers. Rubbing his hands together to get warm, he jumped up the couple of rows and sat in front of Rachel, leaning on the metal bench.

"Hey Rachel," Finn smiled pleasantly.

Rachel smiled back, happy to hear his voice. In Glee, they used to do duets all the time and she really enjoyed his company, even if he was a little dumb at times. He had good intentions and seemed like a good friend.

"Hi Finn, sorry to make you come in early," Rachel ducked her head a little.

"No problem dude, so what's up?" Finn grinned, nudging her knee.

Rachel shook her head a little at the fact that Finn just called her dude and moved on, getting to the real topic at hand.

"Some stuff has gone down recently, well, I lie, lots of stuff has gone down, some good, some bad and I just need to tell someone who hasn't really been involved," Rachel explained, pushing her hair out of her face.

"That makes sense," Finn smiled, getting more comfortable on the hard bench.

"I like you and you're a good friend, so I trust that you will just listen and keep things secret if need be," Rachel smiled warmly.

"Of course," Finn nodded.

"Well, basically, I don't really know if I'm allowed to tell you, but Puck admitted to me yesterday that he likes me," Rachel said, with an uneasy, lopsided smile.

"Oh yeah, I totally know that," Finn waved her off.

Rachel was a little shocked.

"O… oh, okay. Can I ask how you know?" Rachel asked lightly.

"Boys talk as well you know, not a lot of girls think that boys would _gossip_ but we kind of do in a way, not as easily as you girls, but we do. He kind of just blurted it out one time when we were camping in the summer," Finn explained, scratching his hair.

Rachel felt a little bad just hearing that Puck had admitted his feelings to his friends, but she knew they had talked so they would get through it together.

"Okay, well, basically, he explained he liked me, but I said that I liked someone else, that I have done for longer than I realised and yesterday, I… I… kissed that person," Rachel explained.

This immediately got Finn's attention and he smirked in her general direction.

"Nice one Rachel," Finn grinned boyishly.

Rachel just laughed, before leaning forward a little.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that reaction, but sure, okay. I don't know what's going to happen today when I see this person, I am just all nervous and things and wanted to talk to someone," Rachel explained, feeling her nerves coming back.

"Can I ask who this _person _is?" Finn asked, with a playful tint in his eye.

"Umm, yeah, you can, but it isn't to be spread, I have to sort out where we're going with this first," Rachel nibbled her bottom lip worryingly.

"I've got your back dude," Finn put out his fist so that Rachel could bump it, but instead she looked at him questioningly.

"You kind of bump it with your fist Rachel," Finn explained awkwardly.

"Oh, right," Rachel smiled, before lightly bumping her petite fist into Finn's masculine one.

"So, this person?" Finn urged Rachel on.

Rachel thought back over last year and remembered that when Kurt's dad and Finn's mom got together, Finn was a little uneasy about Kurt being so close to him, as Kurt was gay. No one ever really questioned Finn's behaviour, as over the year, he became okay with everything and he ended up being very protective of his step-brother, but it still made Rachel worried about saying that she kissed a girl. Nodding to herself, she looked up into his warm eyes and just said what she needed to say.

"It's Quinn," she said quietly.

Finn didn't say anything and carried on looking at Rachel, as though she had never said anything.

"Finn?" Rachel asked, looking away as she suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Sorry, yeah, I heard. Wow, umm, Quinn Fabray?" Finn wasn't showing much emotion, if anything, he had a little smile plastered onto the corner of his lips.

"Yeah, Quinn Fabray," Rachel nodded.

"Okay, I didn't see that one coming," he laughed a little, easing the nerves that Rachel was holding onto.

"Yeah, neither did I until I realised that I have liked her for way longer than I initially realised," Rachel laughed along, before pushing her hair behind her ears and acting a little more seriously, "so, are you okay with me talking to you about this?"

Finn looked up into Rachel's eyes from where he was watching some cars make their way into the parking lot and let his shoulders relax.

"Rachel, I am completely fine with it. I guess you are thinking back to the whole thing with me and Kurt aren't you?" Finn asked knowingly.

Rachel didn't want to bring it up, but it was at the back of her mind, so she nodded silently.

"I can understand that, but that was a little complicated, not many people know the full extent of that story," Finn just shrugged before continuing, "so you don't have to worry about me not being cool with it, if anything, I think it's kind of awesome."

Finn grinned and squeezed Rachel's knee to show his honesty.

She smiled back, with equal happiness and finally spoke up again.

"I won't push any further now, as school is going to start soon, but I want to hear the full story some other time," she laughed.

"I knew you would," Finn chuckled.

"But, quickly, before we head in, what should I do? How do I act today with her?" Rachel started to panic; she had never done this before.

Finn contemplated over a couple of things, before speaking to Rachel.

"I am going to be completely honest, I don't have much experience with all this shit, but if I was you, then I would just act like friends, like you have been and talk to her when you get her alone, see what she thinks about it all," Finn shrugged with a smile.

"That seems fairly manageable," Rachel nodded.

"It is and Rachel? Don't worry about things too much, we're 17, some nearly 18 and this is like, you know, the start of our lives, this isn't a big deal just yet, just takes things slow," Finn grinned, before jumping off his row onto the track.

Rachel grinned back and skipped off the bleachers, walking next to Finn back to the parking lot.

"You're a nice friend Finn," Rachel smiled to herself.

"You're not too bad I suppose," Finn chuckled.

Rachel just lightly punched his arm, before they walked back in silence to the front entrance of their school.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Quinn was driving to school, already being a little late, she thought back over her morning.

_Waking up at her normal time, Quinn got up and started her daily routine; showering, dressing, putting some simple make-up on, before making her way downstairs. Sometimes, if she was lucky, she would be able to say bye to her dad before he went off to work, but unfortunately today was not going to be one of those mornings, which made Quinn a little sad._

_As she walked slowly into the kitchen, to make herself a quick bowl of cereal, she was surprised to see her mom standing at the breakfast bar, already serving out two bowls of porridge._

_Judy looked up from where she had been adding a dollop of syrup into each bowl and smiled warmly at her daughter before taking the two bowls through to the dining room._

"_Honey, come in here, you need to eat before you go to school," Judy called out after her._

_Quinn furrowed her eyebrows, but made her way into the dining room after her mom._

_Sitting down in front of the bowl of steaming porridge, Quinn started to stir it around, letting it cool down before starting._

_Awkward silence fell upon them both, as they got stuck into their porridge. They hadn't spoken properly since the beauty pageant on Saturday, since her mom was always out and Quinn didn't really feel like making any effort to talk to Judy._

"_So, what classes do you have today?" Judy smiled, as she blew on a spoonful of hot porridge._

"_The normal really, but I'm excited for Glee Club," Quinn smiled, before going back to eating._

"_You really do love your Glee stuff, it's good to hear," Judy tried to keep the conversation going, hoping to try and get her daughter to open back up._

"_I do, I love everything about it. It makes me feel special and everyone loves me for who I am there and…" Quinn was just blabbering mindlessly, when her mom interrupted her._

"_Sweetheart, I'm so sorry," Judy said quietly, but Quinn managed to hear it over her own voice._

"_Sorry?" Quinn asked, not really hearing it completely properly._

"_I'm sorry for everything I did," Judy hung her head a little, not bothering with her porridge._

_Quinn let a small sad smile grace her lips, as she placed her spoon on the side of her bowl. Quinn remembered fondly the memory of her mom standing and clapping at the end of her speech at the pageant but they never really apologised to each other for their behaviour beforehand. Quinn sighed and stretched over the table to hold her mom's hand. Quinn believed her mom's words, but knew that there was still some emotion lacking behind them, but for now, the words would do._

"_It's okay. I'm sorry for being so stubborn," Quinn said quietly._

"_You weren't stubborn, you were just standing up for yourself as I had been pushing you all those years, I was just trying to get you to do what I never got the chance to do," Judy squeezed Quinn's hand, before going to stir her porridge randomly._

_Quinn nodded._

"_I know, but it's over now right? I get to do what I love and you are concentrating more with hanging out with your friends and things," Quinn smiled, trying to lighten the conversation._

_The relationship between the two would probably never be as close as her relationship with her dad, but Quinn was determined to at least fix it a little, as sometimes in life, you just need your mom._

_Judy stopped stirring at Quinn's sentence and seemed to visibly tense a little, before relaxing into her chair._

"_Yeah, of course," Judy nodded._

_Silence fell over them once more, as Quinn quickly finished her lukewarm porridge._

"_Oh, dad said something yesterday about you going to Paris soon for a fashion weekend or something?" Quinn asked, remembering it as her mind was wondering through things._

_Judy was rubbing her hands together._

"_Oh yes, umm, well it may be a little sooner that intended, it's actually this weekend, so yeah, it should be fun," Judy nodded, a tight smile across her lips._

_Quinn's eyebrow rose._

"_Wow, what made the event come forward so much?" Quinn asked._

"_I'm not sure, they just changed the dates, something about the clothes needing to be shown before coming out in season," Judy waved it off._

_Quinn thought that it was a little strange, but let it go, as she wasn't too interested in fashion anyway._

"_That's weird. Well, me and dad can drive you to the airport if you want?" Quinn asked, hoping that if she kept on her best behaviour then maybe she could start building her relationship back up._

"_No, it's fine, I am going with a friend," Judy smiled._

"_Fair enough, who? Are they going with you then? That should be fun," Quinn grinned._

"_Yes, it should be lovely. Umm, Fiona is coming with me," Judy smiled a little wider this time._

"_Oh, Fiona seems like a nice friend," Quinn smiled._

"_She is," Judy replied._

"_Does dad know it's this weekend?" Quinn got up, starting to pick her bowl, so she could get off to school._

"_I haven't told him yet, but I will tomorrow or something," Judy went to get her bowl as well._

_Quinn just shrugged before walking with Judy to the kitchen, placing her own bowl in the sink, and watched as Judy scraped her porridge into the bin._

"_You didn't like the porridge?" Quinn laughed._

"_No, no, I just didn't feel hungry this morning," Judy laughed along._

"_Fair enough, I'm going to go off to school now, see you tonight," Quinn smiled, before making her way to the front door._

_As she went to shut the door, she saw her mom quickly run to the downstairs bathroom looking a little pale. As she was already late for school, she couldn't really afford to go back in, so she just hoped her mom wasn't coming down with an illness and got into her car, ready for the short drive to school._

Pulling into the parking lot, Quinn thought that it was better not to dwell on the past and move forward; she had more important things to sort out today. She was nervous to see Rachel, but it was mixed with complete excitement. Feeling a little giddy, she hopped out of her car and made her way to her locker, ready for her first class of the day, which she luckily shared with most of the Glee Club.

Putting in her code for her locker, she let the door swing back. Sitting on top of all her books, was a little folded piece of crumpled paper, with a scribbled '_To Quinn'_ on the front. A little confused, she quickly made work of opening it and reading the rushed writing on the page.

_You may be wondering who this is, but I am sure that you can tell by my handwriting._

Quinn nodded, she knew instantly who it was, by the little flicks that Rachel does on her y's and g's. Quinn was still a little confused as to how Rachel got the letter in her locker in the first place, but shrugged the thought away as she read on.

_You also may be wondering how I got this letter in your locker, but that will remain a secret for now._

Quinn burst into laughter at the fact that Rachel could read her mind, before seeing that people were looking at like she was insane, laughing into her locker like that, so she cleared her throat and read the rest of the writing.

_I just want to say hi but also that I would like to meet with you in the auditorium at lunchtime. Hope to see you there._

_I know we have Geography first thing, but I won't be sitting next to you._

Quinn felt a little sad at the statement.

_Only because I want to be able to talk to you one to one, as I think we will both have some stuff that we will want to say, which Geography class probably isn't the best place to talk._

_See you soon Quinn._

_From, Rachel xx_

Quinn smiled at her signature, before folding the piece of paper and slipping it into her notebook. Grabbing the rest of her books, she made her way to Geography, thinking that Rachel had a point; they did have stuff to talk about. It made her a little sad to think that she won't be sitting next to Rachel, but if she was honest, it was probably a good thing, as she would be a nervous wreck in class, knowing she had kissed the girl next to her.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Noah, stop throwing paper balls at Finn please," Mr Hill spoke up over the chatter in his Geography class.

Puck slumped back into his chair and started chewing the end of his pen. Finn rubbed the back of his head where Puck had hit him with the ball, as Brittany who was next to him, started drawing a duck on the back of her hand. Santana was sat next to Quinn near the side of the room, as Rachel was sat next to Mercedes on the opposite side of the room. Sam, Tina, Mike and Puck were sat on the back row, all just casually getting on with some work, well, apart from Puck.

Santana leaned over to whisper to Quinn, as the blonde was scribbling in her notepad.

"So, have you spoken to Berry yet?" Santana asked, as she looked over Quinn's shoulder to smile at Brittany.

Quinn closed her notepad.

"Nope, not yet. She wrote me a letter this morning and wants to meet at lunchtime," Quinn explained, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Fair enough. So, you really like her then?" Santana was interested, but tried not to show too much emotion on the matter, she needed to keep up her reputation.

"Well, we're only 17, but yeah, I believe that I feel something very strong towards her, I have done for ages, you know that," Quinn blushed a little.

"Girls, leave the chatting for lunchtime please," Mr Hill sighed.

"Sorry Mr H, please continue," Santana said sarcastically, which just resulted in an eye-roll from their teacher; he was used to her attitude from three years of having to teach her something that she clearly didn't want to learn.

"As I was saying, we've got a Geography trip in two weeks time, so I hope that you have all got your parents to sign the permission slips?" Mr Hill looked over his students.

Quinn's eyes went wide; she completely forgot about the trip to the Ottawa River. It was a camping trip that she really wanted to go to, even though she didn't have much interest in the river.

Looking around, she knew that she wasn't alone though, as most people had a blank face, except for one brunette, who had her hand held high, with the permission slip waving around. As soon as Mr Hill went and collected the slip, Quinn knew she definitely had to go now. A camping trip with Rachel sounded amazing.

"Okay, well someone remembered. Tomorrow is the deadline, if your slip isn't in tomorrow, you can't come, understood?" Mr Hill explained to his class.

"Yes sir," Finn nodded.

"Damn straight," Mike said, as he played Angry Birds on his phone, not really paying attention to what had been said.

Quinn quickly scribbled on the back of her hand to make sure she got the slip signed. Santana watched her with an amused expression on her face.

"Someone desperately wants to go and look at a river," Santana chuckled deep in her throat.

Quinn just lightly slapped her arm, before thinking of a remark.

"Well, rivers are pretty cool," Quinn shrugged.

Quinn inwardly cringed; couldn't she think of anything better to say than that?

"Yeah, really cool," Santana laughed, happy to be teasing her friend.

"Oh, oh, oh! I found mine Mr Hilly!" Brittany jumped excitedly in her chair, waving the slip in the air.

Hearing Brittany's voice, it immediately got Santana's attention.

"It's Mr Hill," the teacher mumbled, as he took the slip from the enthusiastic blonde's hand.

Mr Hill went back to marking some work, as the class was meant to be working through the textbook. Quinn turned and spotted Santana quickly grab a pen and scribble on her hand.

"Oh, someone suddenly wants to come see a river," Quinn jibed lightly, as she laughed at how whipped Santana was to Brittany.

"Rivers are dope okay," Santana snapped back, before turning away from Quinn and getting on with some actual work.

The blonde just shook her head, while giggling and went back to ogling at Rachel, hoping the little brunette wouldn't catch her.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Rachel was making her way down the hallway at a rapid pace; she needed to get to the auditorium before Quinn. Meeting the blonde was enough anxiety, but meeting her and having to walk in if Quinn was already there would be another.

Taking a seat at the piano stall, Rachel absent-mindlessly began to tap on the keys, whilst calming her breathing. She was excited to see Quinn, who wouldn't be? But she was nervous, as she had never done anything like this before in her life. She didn't know if she was bisexual or gay or straight but had a ridiculously big crush; she just didn't know. Quinn knew though and that's what made Rachel most nervous, because Quinn had made up her mind, Rachel was still a little in the unknown.

As she was in a world of her own, she remembered what Finn had said to her this morning. _Don't worry about things too much, we're 17, some nearly 18 and this is like, you know, the start of our lives, this isn't a big deal just yet, just takes things slow. _She nodded to herself, realising that he was right. They were so young compared to their whole lives and this wasn't a marriage or a deep relationship that she was tied too. Yes, the kiss that they had shared meant more to Rachel than she had imagined a simple kiss would mean, but that didn't signify she had to start getting worried about making sure this relationship, or whatever they had going on, worked. She wanted it to, but she had to think about what her feelings meant in terms of how they were going to act.

As Rachel was getting deep in thought, she saw Quinn walk gracefully up the stairs and onto the stage, looking beautiful under the lighting. Quinn seemed to look just as nervous as Rachel felt, but the blonde had a smile that contradicted what Rachel had initially thought. Quinn finally got to the piano and leaned on the top surface, looking at Rachel. The brunette's heartbeat suddenly increased under the stare, but she let the thumping drown out as Quinn's voice broke the silence.

"Rach, come here," Quinn said quietly, stepping away from the piano, facing the brunette.

Rachel didn't reply, she just smiled a small smile and made her way over to the blonde, before they were standing in close proximity.

Quinn smiled down at Rachel, before moving forward and wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's waist, pulling her closer and resting her head in the crook of Rachel's neck.

It had left Rachel a little shocked, as she wasn't expecting a hug, but as Quinn squeezed a little tighter, Rachel felt comfortable and leaned into the touch, wrapping her own arms round the slender neck of the blonde, as she inhaled the all too familiar scent.

As they both let out a deep sigh, they stepped back and it was Rachel's turn to speak up.

"What was that for?" she giggled, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"To break the ice," Quinn nodded, "we would both be lying if we said that we weren't nervous to see each other."

Rachel nodded and then let out a little laugh.

"Yeah, that's true. I know I shouldn't be nervous, but just being around you makes me nervous, not in a bad way, a good way, but a way that makes me on edge. I just don't know what we're going to do now, what happens?" Rachel rambled out, before stopping and looking down at the floor, playing with the ends of her hair.

Quinn stifled a little giggle. Half of her was thinking that she didn't know what to do either and then half of her was thinking that Rachel was thinking a little too much into this. But Quinn then realised that Rachel didn't actually know what she was. Quinn knew she was gay, she believes that she always was, as Lady Gaga would say; she was born this way… baby.

"Rachel, don't worry so much. I don't really know what to do to be honest. I just know that I really like spending time with you, I like your company, your voice, your laugh, your smile and I think you're beautiful and cute. I just think that we need to take this slowly and if you aren't comfortable with anything then just say. We don't need to label this," Quinn smiled encouragingly.

Rachel relaxed a little, as Quinn's voice soothed her inner worries. Resting against the piano, Rachel looked up at Quinn with a sparkle in her eye.

"So, what would you like to do about this?" Rachel said, in a slightly lower tone than usual.

Quinn looked away from Rachel's gaze, feeling the blush run up her cheeks and she grinned a little.

"I would like to carry on like we were, but maybe I can take you out some time?" Quinn shrugged, with a little shy smile.

Rachel straightened up from the piano and felt her heart warm. She has never been on a date before and she never thought she would be going on a date with a girl but if she was being honest, that didn't phase her one bit.

"That would be nice, but umm, does that mean that we are nothing at the moment then? I just need to be clear," Rachel spoke, as she waved her hands in explanation.

"In a way, yes, I suppose it does. I know we kissed," Quinn said, as they both looked away, as they smiled, "but, I think it would be nice to start over, now we both know that we feel something towards each other."

Rachel nodded, as they finally connected eyes again.

"Yeah, that makes sense. A date would be nice, but I am not sure about being completely open about my feelings to the school just yet," Rachel said with a little guilt in her voice, feeling as though this would upset Quinn.

"Rach, that doesn't bother me. At the end of the day, I know I'm gay, but this is new to you, these feelings are new, so I'm not expecting you to just start strutting down the halls holding my hand and making out with me up against the lockers," Quinn laughed, trying to ease the brunette's worries.

Quinn was oblivious to the reaction that the words had ignited within Rachel. As Quinn had mentioned making out with her up against a locker, Rachel couldn't help as her thoughts wondered to images of pushing Quinn up against a locker and kissing her hard and sucking on her smooth neck.

"Err, Rachel?" Quinn giggled cautiously.

The brunette realised that she had been biting down hard on her lip, whilst staring blankly at Quinn's chest.

"Shit," Rachel mumbled, as she dragged her eye line away from Quinn's breasts.

The blonde laughed, knowing that Rachel obviously just had a thought about doing something naughty.

"Tell me," Quinn teased.

"Tell you what?" Rachel asked innocently.

"What you were just thinking about," Quinn lent on her hip.

"I wasn't thinking about anything," Rachel shook her head furiously.

Quinn coughed into her hand, as she spoke, "subtle".

"Okay, damn you," Rachel slapped Quinn lightly on the shoulder.

"So, what were you thinking about?" Quinn said as she jokingly wiggled her eyebrows.

Rachel shook her head at her friend's antics. Even though about twenty minutes ago, she was freaking out about the fact that she didn't know what was going to happen, or whether she wanted to get all caught up about this, but suddenly with Quinn just being here, she has calmed down and now they were laughing and having a joke; it was the way it was meant to be.

"Oh, just about this girl," Rachel waved her off.

"Uh huh, and what about this girl?" Quinn followed Rachel round the piano, as Rachel started to slowly walk away.

"Well, she said something earlier and then I just got this _really_ hot image in my head, nothing much really," Rachel said in a very casual tone.

They stopped near the exit door at the side of the stage.

"And, what was this image you imagined?" Quinn said, as she pulled a contemplative face.

"Well, think of a really pretty blonde and a cute brunette, as she was once described, up against some lockers, tops riding up and I don't know, let's say they were totally making out. Just use your imagination I suppose," Rachel shrugged as she slipped past Quinn, deliberately brushing impossibly close to her, as she made her way into the corridor and down to her locker, leaving a flabbergasted blonde, gawping, whilst standing at the stage door.

"Wha… uh… she just…," Quinn sighed, "damn Rachel."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As there was no Glee Club on Monday's, Rachel made her way to the library, with the intention of doing some work, but realistically, that probably wouldn't happen. She's a senior, what do you expect? As Quinn had a lesson now, Rachel was walking around, trying to find someone who she could sit with.

Slipping through the mountains of book shelves, she spotted a familiar face. Smiling to herself, she quickly made her way to the table and dropped into the soft seat next to Bianca.

"Hey you," Rachel smiled.

Bianca stopped reading her _"I Am Number Four" _book and looked into Rachel's welcoming eyes.

"Hi Rachel," Bianca smiled warmly.

The young girl's eye was a little swollen, her lip's stitch looked like it was healing well and her nose had some tape across it, but overall, she looked like she was recovering swiftly.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel lent her elbow on the table and looked sideways at the little brunette.

"Umm, I'm okay. The nose is still very painful, but they said that the damage wouldn't leave any problems, so that's good. Dave is in isolation in the young offenders, but they can't sentence him just yet, they haven't made a final decision," Bianca explained, as she put her book into her bag on the floor.

"Well, let's hope he gets what he deserves," Rachel squeezed Bianca's hand.

"Yeah," Bianca smiled.

Rachel settled in her chair a little.

"So, how did Santana take the news? I haven't seen her since the run," Rachel asked, interested.

"She was actually much calmer than I thought she would've been, until she smashed a plate and punched a wall, but you know. I told her not to do anything that she would regret. I explained that Dave would get what he deserved and explained that you helped me, so, she kind of likes you now, but she will probably never admit that to your face," Bianca laughed.

Rachel grinned at the statement. She knew Santana was softer than she portrayed.

"I am glad that everything went okay, it will take some time to become more confident in going out and things, but you have loads of support behind you now," Rachel smiled warmly.

As comfortable silence fell upon them, Rachel had one question that was on her mind and as she was a very nosey person, she wanted to know.

"So, did you tell Santana that you think you might be bisexual?" Rachel whispered.

Bianca just looked at her, with a little smirk. Rachel wasn't exactly subtle with her words, or her behaviour, but Bianca admired her boldness. Becoming a little more serious, Bianca answered the question.

"Know, not think, I know I'm bisexual. But no, I didn't, I couldn't, not yet. Things are a little interesting at home and I don't want anything else going wrong, so I will just leave that little bit of information out of it," Bianca waved Rachel off, suddenly becoming a little defensive and wary of what information she was giving out.

"So, how did you explain why you got beaten up?" Rachel asked, still a little confused and not getting the subtle hints that Bianca didn't really feel like talking about it.

"I just said that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Bianca said bluntly, before getting up out of her seat.

"Anyway, I better get off now, thanks for the chat Rachel," Bianca smiled a tight smile, before walking stiffly out of the library.

Rachel sat there trying to work things through in her mind. What had just happened? She wouldn't dig any further, as this wasn't really her place to dig, she just hoped that Bianca and well, Santana were okay. She felt as though they were her friends now, less so on Santana's part, but that would have to be worked on, but with Bianca, she felt the need to protect the girl.

Rachel shook away her thoughts and looked down at her Geography textbook, staring blankly at the title on the front cover. She rolled her chocolate, brown eyes and picked up her pink pen, opening the textbook and started to read over a couple of sentences, before abruptly closing the book again and taking out her iPod from her bag.

"Geography can wait, but Adele however, can't."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As the final bell of the day rang through the corridors of McKinley High, Rachel got out of her class as quickly as she could, hoping that she could meet Quinn at her locker before she went home.

Leaning her back up against the cold metal, she just waited, listening to conversations as people wandered past and found it amusing when she caught random sentences from someone's chatter. As two girls walked past, Rachel burst into laughter, when one girl turned to the other and said, "I know and I thought three inches was small!" Rachel didn't want to know what the conversation was about, but her mind was going through all the possibilities and it made her laugh even more.

As the corridors slowly became more empty, Rachel was doubting that Quinn was even still in school, but as her hopes were running out, a blonde and four others walked round the corner. The blonde immediately greeted Rachel with a one hundred watt smile. Rachel stood up from leaning on the locker, to greet Quinn properly with a big hug. She would kiss her chastely on the lips if she could, but she remembered that they were just being friends, until Quinn could take her out on a date, to get Rachel into things slowly.

"Hey Rach," Quinn smiled, as she pulled back from the intense hug.

"Hey, I was starting to think you had already gone home," Rachel laughed shyly.

"No, just Mr Schue kept us behind after Spanish, because we were all apparently talking too loudly, but I would like to just say that, it was _just_ Santana that was talking too loudly," Quinn explained to Rachel, as she sent some jokey daggers Santana's way.

"Well, I'm sorry that someone is deaf and can't hear me speaking to them," Santana jibed back to the blonde.

"No, I was actually watching the Spanish video, learning stuff!" Quinn argued back, but began to laugh knowing that this argument was completely pathetic.

"It's just the guy on that video had a massive head and a face so ugly it became almost fascinating, I just had to tell someone," Santana shrugged it off, as Rachel started to giggle behind Quinn.

"Dude, that's a bit harsh," Finn laughed from behind Brittany.

"No it's not, I swear he must need a license to be that ugly," Santana mused.

Brittany was smiling, until she realised that Santana was getting mean again, so she slapped the brunette's arm, before interlinking their pinkies.

"San, be nice. He may be a really nice guy," Brittany smiled to the rest of the group.

Quinn smiled, as she subtly slipped her hand into Rachel's, holding the brunette lightly in her own. She felt Rachel jump a little at the touch, but quickly revel in the feeling. Quinn was still getting butterflies in her stomach each time she came in contact with the girl she had major feelings for, but she was just happy that they were even trying at this. They are only 17 and neither of them had done a relationship with a girl before, so taking things slowly was good for the both of them. For now, Quinn would steal silent glances, little touches, a whisper in the ear and a long hug or two; that was enough.

Quinn could tell that Santana had caught her linking her hands with Rachel, but luckily the brunette let it slide. Everyone in the group knew that Quinn and Rachel had kissed, well, apart from Brittany, but they were sure that Santana had probably filled her in. At the moment, they were keeping it on the down low, not wanting it to get out, as Rachel had expressed earlier that she definitely wasn't ready for that, until she truly knows what she wants.

Rachel was looking around the group, as they all shared smiles and glances, wondering where everyone was going after school, when Rachel's eyes fell upon one silent Noah Puckerman standing behind Finn, Santana and Brittany.

"Hey Puck, you okay?" Rachel said, over the conversation that Brittany and Quinn had just started.

Puck quickly looked up from where he was staring at his phone and gave her a little nod.

Rachel just smiled back, but still didn't feel that he was right. Puck was one of her best friends, so she could tell that something was wrong; she just couldn't quite get what it was right now.

Quinn was laughing, as she finished her chat with Brittany before addressing the whole group.

"Guys, do you all want to come back to mine for a bit? We can order pizza?" Quinn shrugged, as she let go of Rachel's hand to get out her phone.

"Yes," Rachel said immediately, with a big grin.

"If you want to keep this whole thing a secret Rachel, try being more subtle yeah?" Santana pressed, as she knowingly smirked at her two blushing friends.

"Whatever Santana," Rachel smiled.

"Yeah, I'm game, as long as I get a meat feast pizza!" Finn grinned, licking his lips.

Rachel scrunched up her nose at the idea of meat, but let it pass, knowing that she would have to cope with it if she was to spend more time with Quinn, seeing as Quinn loved her meat.

"Yeah, might as well, if Brittany is going?" Santana asked the blonde next to her.

"Definitely, I like Quinn's house, there is a whole massive lobby to do cartwheels in!" Brittany grinned, clapping her hands.

"Yeah, well do the cartwheels before you eat the pizza yeah?" Quinn laughed, not wanting her friend to puke up in her house, which was a memory she didn't want to re-live.

Quinn smiled at her friends, before noticing that Puck hadn't answered, so addressed him through the group.

"Puck, want to come?" Quinn smiled at him.

"Umm, actually, I got to be home for my little sis and bro, so I'll sit this one out, thanks," Puck smiled at the blonde, before making his way down the corridor.

Everyone else didn't push any further, letting their friend's strange behaviour wash over them, as they started to head out of the other door, towards Quinn's house. Rachel couldn't help but worry about Puck, so quickly jogged back to catch up with him.

"Hey, Puck, wait up," Rachel said quickly, as she reached him at the other end of the corridor.

Puck seemed to stop, but very reluctantly.

"What's wrong? Has something happened at home?" Rachel said softly, as she put her comforting hand on his bicep.

He stiffened at the motion and let out a tight smile.

"Everything's fine Rach," Puck said bluntly.

"Puck, I know you, this isn't right, please tell me," Rachel tried once again, stepping a little closer.

Puck's breath was getting quicker by the second and he didn't like Rachel pushing like this, not now, not today. He stepped out of her touch and gritted his teeth, not liking the proximity right now.

"Just leave it Rach, not now okay?" Puck said quietly.

"But Puck, I want to help you, if you tell me what's wrong, I can help, but I am not pushing this, well, I am and I know that's not fair but…" Rachel started to ramble, but failed to notice Puck getting uncomfortable in his position, before he spoke up above her voice.

"Just leave it Rachel! God!" Puck raised his voice, before turning abruptly and bashing open the door and jogging heavily out of school.

Rachel stood there, a little shocked, as her ears came back to their senses from the loud boom of Puck's shout. It had also got the attention of the group, as they stood at the opposite door, waiting for the brunette. Rachel didn't want to cry, but a small tear fell down her cheek, purely from the effects of being shouted at; she always cried when she got shouted at.

Quinn was immediately running down the corridor to Rachel's side, even before Puck had got out of the door. She turned the little brunette by her shoulders to face her, as she spoke softly but protectively.

"What was that about?" Quinn said worryingly.

Rachel didn't actually know, even though she truly wanted to know. She wanted to be there for him, but if he didn't open up, then what was she meant to do? Just wait.

"I don't know," Rachel sniffed, as she brushed the tear away, looking up into Quinn's hazel orbs.

"He better not shout at you again, you don't deserve that," Quinn said strongly.

"I know something is up with him, so I was just trying to help, but I won't push him anymore," Rachel said hopelessly.

Quinn felt bad for Rachel, looking so child-like after just being shouted at, so she stepped into Rachel's space and gave her a hug. Wrapping her arms around Rachel waist, she curled the brunette up, planting an innocent kiss to the side of Rachel's head, before rubbing her small back and reluctantly letting go of Rachel's embrace. Rachel smiled thankfully at Quinn, before walking back down the corridor with her.

Finn smiled at the pair when they got to the other door, as he gave Rachel a quick hug as well, while Quinn walked with Santana and Brittany down onto the path, to make their way home. Rachel thanked the boy for the hug, before they walked down the path together.

"How about we go back to Quinn's, eat some pizza and chill out, I think you need that," Finn smiled, as he lightly patted Rachel on the back.

"I definitely need that," Rachel laughed a little, still not being able to get Puck off her thoughts and Finn could obviously read that on her face.

"Rach, I shall try and talk to him in football tomorrow, okay?" Finn said helpfully.

Rachel turned to see Finn's face and smiled at the sheer sincerity that he was displaying.

"That would be nice Finn, just see if he opens up to you, I worry about him you know," Rachel said, more to herself than to Finn.

"No problem, now go and walk with Quinn, she hasn't stopped looking back here for the past two minutes," Finn laughed, before getting out his iPod, as the four girls walked ahead of him.

Rachel caught up with Quinn and smiled sweetly at the blonde. She rested her head lightly on Quinn's shoulder for a couple of seconds and sighing, before lifting her head away and addressing the blonde quietly.

"We need to go to the secret garden soon, please," Rachel said, a little sigh in her voice.

"Of course, tomorrow night?" Quinn warmly smiled back.

"Too far away… let's go tonight, when this lot are gone," Rachel smiled excitedly.

"Eager," Quinn laughed jokingly.

"Don't tell me you haven't been thinking about the secret garden all day? It's the place for relaxation and just… being," Rachel said wistfully, as she let her eyes wonder into the sky.

"Okay, come back to earth Rach," Quinn giggled, "let's have some pizza and then we can go out there tonight."

Rachel and Quinn shared some grins, before walking with their two friends next to them, and their other friend closely behind.

The sight ahead of Finn, made him smile a little. He wasn't majorly close with Santana, since she constantly puts him down, but he knows that she doesn't mean it completely. Right? He felt quite protective of the four girls, mainly because they have all become like a family in Glee Club, but because they just seemed special to him. Santana slipped her hand into Brittany's, as they swung their linked hands between them, laughing and singing down the road. Rachel was not-so-subtly brushing her hand against Quinn's every now-and-again, as they walked very closely together. Finn smiled to himself, as _'Linkin Park'_ filled his ears, knowing that he would make sure he protected his friends whenever they needed him; even Santana.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	11. Chapter 11

**N/A **Hello everyone! Okay, I would like to apologise for the amount of time that it has taken me to update, but that is due to the fact that I have my A Level exams in a week and basically, if I don't get the grades, I won't be going to University after the summer, which would be rather sad and frustrating, not to mention the fact that I wouldn't know what to do with my life. But anyway, ramble over, so yeah, I probably won't be updating this story for the next two weeks at least, because my head will be in revision mode, as much as I don't want to do it; I have to. Quickly, thanks to everyone that has favourited (I don't think that's a real word, but let's just run with it) this story, alerted this story and added me as a favourite author; thank you!

Quick question (just because I love my readers and I want to hear from you), put a name a of Glee Cast member that you would a) kiss b) marry c) laugh with :D

Lots'a love.

* * *

><p>As the group slowly approached the house, the chatter died down and Rachel simply slipped her soft hand into Quinn's for reassurance. The brunette could see Quinn visibly tense up and knew that she wanted some comfort. Luckily, the action immediately calmed the blonde and they continued cautiously up the path, to Quinn's front door. Finn had unplugged his iPod when everyone had gone stiff and Santana was stroking Brittany's hand lightly. Just beyond the door, raised voices were arguing back and forth.<p>

Quinn had known this might have been happening; she hoped it wouldn't have, but there was a possibility. Tony and Judy had been fighting a lot lately. If they weren't ignoring each other, they were up in each other's faces, shouting back arguments that were just going round in unpleasant circles. Quinn didn't know the reason for any of the arguments; she would just go up to her room and keep out of the way. Her mom had been out a lot with her friends in the past week, so Tony and herself would just chill around the house and talk with each other, but as soon as the older blonde came home, Quinn would sneak out of the way and give her dad a sympathetic smile. She was just waiting for her dad to come to her and explain what was going on.

Turning round to meet her friends' eyes, she finally spoke up over the voices behind her.

"Okay, maybe tonight isn't a good night after all," Quinn said apologetically, trying to portray a little smile, but it was lost amongst the worry her face truly masked.

"No worries, we will just, like, head off," Finn said awkwardly, shuffling on the spot.

"Give me a ring if you need to okay?" Santana said quickly, squeezing the blonde's shoulder before, turning to leave with Brittany.

As Finn, Santana and Brittany were half way down the path, the front door suddenly flew open behind Quinn, causing the blonde to jump and knock into Rachel.

"Shit, sorry!" Quinn stated, as she steadied herself, using Rachel's shoulders.

"Don't worry," the brunette exclaimed, as she calmed the nerves that came with being this close to Quinn.

The pair turned round to look at the front door, as Judy, who was red faced from anger, stormed out and made a beeline for her car, not turning back to even acknowledge her daughter and the friends that were dotted along her garden path. Blank faces watched her, as she screeched the car out of the drive and down the road, not hitting the breaks once.

Quinn just watched, not really being bothered by the scene that just played out, seeing it one too many times. Her friends however, were still staring at the corner of the street from which Judy had just skidded round, their eyes blinking like a deer caught in headlights. The blonde shook her head and cursed her mom for embarrassing her dad like that, especially as Quinn had brought friends home. As her friends came round to their senses, they all started to slowly walk back down the path, not knowing whether to mention what just happened, or let it be. They chose the latter.

"No, wait, guys, just come in for a bit? The pizza is still on if you want? My mom's gone now, she won't be coming back tonight," Quinn said, as Santana and Brittany had just made it to the sidewalk.

They all seemed a little uncomfortable, having just been caught up in a family feud, but knew that Quinn wanted this. Finn was thinking over things in his mind and remembered what he had said earlier; he would be there for this friends no matter what, even if that did mean having a very awkward encounter with Quinn's scary mom.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Finn smiled casually, walking back up the path.

Santana and Brittany just smiled genuinely at their friend, before walking back up to meet the blonde.

"Just go straight into the lounge, while I talk to my dad, okay?" Quinn smiled reassuringly, as she went through the slightly open front door.

Once she knew her friends were comfortable on the couches, she went into the kitchen, were she knew her dad would be. The blonde was spot on; bent over the sink, sipping a glass of water, was Tony, looking absolutely exhausted. Quinn silently went up to him and immediately enveloped her dad in a hug, squeezing his waist as though her life depended on it.

Tony immediately calmed down as soon as he felt the familiar arms around his middle. Placing the empty glass onto the draining board, he turned around in the tight grip and curled his big arms around his daughter, resting his head on top of hers.

"I've missed this," Tony sighed, closing his eyes.

"Missed what, dad?" Quinn squeezed harder, feeling suddenly emotional, having just heard one of the biggest arguments, knowing that her dad was probably hiding all his raw emotions away.

"Surprise hugs, they're my favourite," Tony laughed lightly, as he finally ended the embrace.

Quinn stood silently in front of her dad, as the silence held all the questions she wanted to ask and all the answers Tony didn't want to tell. Tony was about to say something, before a small laugh broke through the silence and a smile immediately formed on Quinn's lips, recognising the laugh immediately.

"I see we have company," her dad smiled warmly.

Quinn immediately felt guilty for inviting her friends in, now knowing that her dad probably just wanted to relax in the lounge before calling it a night.

"Yeah, I'm sorry; I can just tell them to go. It's just after school, I said we could all have pizza and things and then…" Quinn started to ramble, needing to explain herself, but then stopping when she realised that she was now starting to sound like Rachel, but also because her dad started to laugh.

"Wait, what's so funny?" Quinn asked, looking confused.

"I don't need an explanation honey, I am glad that you have brought your friends round, it's good for you guys to just be kids once in a while, as time is moving quickly. I will order the pizzas now," Tony smiled down at his daughter and moved to the phone on the wall.

"What do you mean by time is moving quickly?" Quinn asked, as her brows furrowed.

"No worries Quinn, just go and have fun with… wait, who have we got tonight?" Tony grinned, phone ready in hand to order the pizzas.

Quinn let her question float into the air, realising it was probably just yet another thing she wouldn't understand until she was 'older'. Smiling up at her father, she leaned against the counter and recalled who she brought home with her.

"Finn, Santana, Brittany and Rachel," Quinn grinned.

"Sounds like a lovely bunch; I will come and say hi before going to my office," Tony smiled, putting in the number for the pizza takeout.

"Four margaritas," Quinn mouthed, as Tony answered the phone.

"Hello, can I please order four margaritas to be delivered," Tony said politely.

"Ooh, extra cheese," Quinn mouthed enthusiastically.

"Oh, sorry, can you please make them all with extra cheese?" Tony added.

Quinn nodded proudly, before going wide eyed and remembering that Rachel was a darn vegan.

"Crap! Umm, wait, can they make a salad with just vegan ingredients?" Quinn whispered urgently.

"Sorry, excuse me; can you make a vegan salad to go as well please?" Tony said, starting to get a little impatient with his daughter.

"Yes, just vegan ingredients please, thank you," Tony spoke into the phone, "yes, the name is Fabray, Tony Fabray, we'll be on your database for our address. Thank you."

"Dips! We need dips!" Quinn quickly added, before Tony just put his hand over her mouth, while ending the conversation.

"Cam choo please moooove chor hamd from my faysh," Quinn mumbled against Tony's hand.

Tony chuckled, before moving his hand away and grinning like the boy he was inside.

"Anyway, I shall now go and say hi to your friends, before going upstairs," Tony nodded.

"Okay, but dad?" Quinn asked, as they were walking out of the kitchen.

"Yes honey?" Tony replied, stopping outside the lounge.

"Please don't work too hard tonight, you need to rest, especially after just having the… you know, argument with mom," Quinn said worryingly.

"It's a tough job being an accountant, you know that, but I will try not to work too hard," Tony winked at this daughter, before walking into the lounge, being greeted with a hysterically laughing Rachel and the other three just staring at the brunette in wonder.

"I was just coming to say hi, but I see that someone is already very comfortable," Tony laughed at the little brunette, as she came round from her laughter.

"Hel… hello, Mr, Fab, Fabraaay," Rachel said through chuckles, before she collapsed back into the chair and started laughing again, clutching her stomach for support.

Quinn squeezed passed her dad, before stopping at the sight. As the blonde saw the little brunette laughing and enjoying herself, it made Quinn's smile turn into a grin in milliseconds.

"Umm, Rach? What's so funny?" Quinn asked, chuckling herself.

"I don't… I don't actually know… re… really," Rachel wiped at her eyes, as a stray tear slipped down her cheek.

Rachel sat up straight in her armchair and patted down her skirt, before smiling as she explained what was so funny; well, funny to her at least.

"Mr Fabray, Tony, I have decided you could be called Mr T! Because you're called Tony, you see. Like, from the A Team, Mr T, Mr Tony!" Rachel beamed, "can I pleeease call you Mr T?"

Tony looked a little confused at the youth of today, but smiled nonetheless.

"If you wish Rachel," Tony replied, "is that what was making you laugh so much?"

Rachel looked a little shy, as everyone's eyes were on her, most probably judging her for thinking that was funny, because now that she said it out loud, she realised that it really wasn't that funny… at all.

"Umm, yes? Well, only because I just had this vision of you shouting '_shut up, fool!'_," Rachel acted out her quote in her best Mr T impression, "and, I kind of thought it was funny."

Rachel quickly sunk into her armchair, as she realised she had just embarrassed herself in front of Quinn and Quinn's dad. Rachel just rolled her eyes at her silliness, before Quinn giggled as she walked towards Rachel in the chair and shifted to sit on the arm, before draping her pale arm over the back of the chair. The blonde was oblivious to how happy and red Rachel had become from sitting in such a close proximity to Quinn, but the brunette was also oblivious to how much the blonde had wanted to sit next to her the whole time she had been talking.

"Well, I'm glad that you have had a good laugh, but I will now disappear, the pizza and salad should be here shortly," Tony smiled at his daughter, before walking out of the door.

"Oh wait, dad!" Quinn quickly remembered something she _had _to do.

Tony quickly popped back into the lounge and waited while Quinn sprinted to her school bag over in the corner of the room and pulled out a slip of paper, before passing it to her dad.

"Please can you sign this permission slip? It's to go on a camping trip to the Ottawa River in two weeks time," Quinn grinned widely.

Tony scanned the slip quickly, before swiftly pulling the trusty pen from his shirt pocket, scribbling down his signature before passing it back to Quinn, kissing her cheek and slipping out of the room and heading towards his office upstairs, but not before downing some water and pain killers; he had a big headache, but knew he had to get this report done before the deadline.

Back in the lounge, everyone had taken up the seats on the couch, with Rachel in the armchair and Quinn perched next to her; not leaving her side.

"So, what pizza did you get Quinn?" Santana asked, inspecting her nails.

"Cheesy pizzas for us and a vegan salad for Rachel," Quinn smiled, getting up to go and gets some drinks.

Rachel inwardly did a happy dance; Quinn remembered that she was vegan. Not that she expected her to forget, it was just nice to be respected and also, the fact that Quinn had only put cheese on the pizzas, even though she knew the blonde loved her meat.

"Drinks?" Quinn asked from the doorway, as Finn turned the TV on.

"Colaaaaa!" Brittany grinned from her position on the couch, which resulted in an eye roll from Santana; she knows what Brittany gets like when she has cola.

"Just water, cheers," Finn smiled from the couch, as he flicked through the channels.

"I'll have what Britt is having," Santana waved Quinn off, with a small, barely noticeable smile.

"I'll come and help you," Rachel smiled sheepishly, before jumping off the armchair and following Quinn into the kitchen.

"I'll get the glasses if you want to get the cola from the fridge and whatever you would like," Quinn smiled, as she moved towards the glass cabinet with the glasses.

Both girls could feel the tension growing throughout the room, but chose to ignore it than speak about it. It wasn't a bad tension, it was a tension between two people that liked each other and even though they didn't really know it yet, found each other incredibly attractive. Rachel had always thought that Quinn had complete natural beauty and loved the way her eyes seemed to be able to captivate anyone within a few seconds and Quinn had always believed that Rachel's unique beauty had been covered by the personality that she had put up to please her dad's, but now that Rachel was being herself, Quinn was always taken back by Rachel's appearance.

Quinn was inwardly kicking herself; she needed to get a grip around the brunette, because if she wasn't careful, she would just jump the girl any second and deal with the consequences later. She remembered that she had told Rachel earlier today that they were nothing at the moment, well, not until Quinn took her out on a proper date, but now, as she stood a few metres away from the gorgeous brunette, she was starting to regret her decision.

"Two bottles of cola for Brittany and Santana and the blackcurrant juice for us," Rachel grinned, as she held the bottles up, before placing them on the counter in front of Quinn.

"God, we're so hardcore," Quinn jokingly winked, before pouring some cola into two classes for her friends.

"Totally," Rachel joked back, filling up one glass of tap water for Finn.

Having poured everyone's drinks, Quinn casually went back to putting the bottles away, as Rachel just stood looking at the blackcurrant juice swirling around in the pink glass.

Rachel's thoughts were going all around and she was trying to listen to them all at once, but was getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of them. _"Damn, Quinn looks good tonight. Hell yeah she does and she sat right on the arm next to us. Her ass was practically on top of us… if she had just turned around and then kind of sat on us and then… Rachel! Snap out of it. Damn, I just want to kiss her again, can I do that? Is it allowed? Like, I know we're only friends at the moment, but come on… I am 17 and am stuck in an empty kitchen with a reeeeally pretty girl… and there's a counter over there that's pretty spacious… Rachel! Shit, she's looking, act casual Rachel, act casual!"_

"You can start your drink if you want, you've been staring at it for a while," Quinn chuckled, knowing that Rachel was definitely not thinking about the drink.

Rachel kept staring at the juice, before abruptly turning around and pushing Quinn back until they were flush against the kitchen counter, igniting goose bumps over each of their bodies.

"I know we're friends right now, until you take me on a date, and I know that I am too afraid to come out to, like, to everyone at the moment, but I really," Rachel paused, looking up hungrily into the eyes of the girl she had liked for so long, "I really want to kiss you again and I would do so willingly if you were to let me."

Quinn blushed under the intense gaze, as she used her hand to brush her bangs out of her eyes. The blonde would easily let the brunette kiss her, but she was scared that it would complicate things. The fact that this is the first time Rachel had been attracted to a girl, scared Quinn a little. Only on the basis that she didn't want to completely fall for the brunette, if Rachel were to realise that girls weren't her thing after all. But at this moment, with Rachel looking so deeply into her eyes, the girl's body connected with hers, Quinn was willing to take that risk.

"I think that we should take it slow, but I guess…" Quinn started to talk slowly, before Rachel interrupted her.

"Okay good," Rachel rushed out, before slamming their lips together.

The brunette didn't waste any time, as she slipped her smooth tongue into Quinn's parted lips, resulting in a moan from both girls. Rachel hands twirled themselves around the blonde's enticing neck, as Quinn's hands found Rachel's hips.

Their tongues fought with each other, as Rachel's left hand rubbed at the bottom of Quinn's neck, venturing into her blonde locks and massaging the back of the blonde's head, as her tongue brushed the roof of Quinn's mouth. Quinn whimpered at the feeling of Rachel's slender fingers stroking through her hair, before taking the brunette's bottom lip between her teeth and tugging a little before placing one last open mouthed kiss to the swollen lips and gradually moving away.

Rachel rested her forehead onto Quinn's as she sighed out, a small smile gracing her lips. The blonde was reflecting the same smile and panting slowly. They both detangled themselves from each other and shuffled a little on their feet, blushes rising on their cheeks.

"But I guess we could kiss once," Quinn finished off with a cheeky grin.

"I was hoping you would say that," Rachel smiled back, looking up through her long lashes.

"We umm, we better get back in there," Quinn said, picking up her glass, Finn's and Santana's.

Rachel simply nodded before getting hers and Brittany's and following Quinn back into the lounge, where Santana and Finn were fighting over the remote.

"Dude, I don't want to watch 'The L Word' on catch up! I'm a guy!" Finn was complaining as he tried to grab the remote from a scary Santana.

"Exactly! You should like watching two girls kiss and stuff! Me and Britts want to get our L Word on!" Santana argued back, biting out in the air in Finn's direction.

Brittany was watching with wide eyes and an amused grin, switching between the two as they bickered back and forth.

"I like girls, but I don't want to watch lesbians!" Finn bit back.

"Sexist!" Santana held the remote high in the air.

"H… how? How was that sexist?" Finn looked confused but determined to get that damn remote.

"Drinks!" Rachel cheered from her position in the doorway, just behind a chuckling Quinn.

"How about we just turn the TV off?" Quinn said helpfully, as she placed their drinks on the coffee table in the middle.

"Sounds fine," Finn said stubbornly.

"Fine, deal," Santana stabbed back, as she turned the TV off, before hiding the remote down her top.

"Brittany, here is your cola," Rachel smiled, as she passed it to the giggly blonde.

"Yay!" Brittany exclaimed, before gulping half the glass down and belching rather loudly, as she smiled at how good and bubbly it tasted.

"That's my girl," Santana clicked in the air, as she bobbed her head to the side, before she enjoyed her own drink.

Quinn wanted to ask if she _was _her girl and whether they were actually going to become an item, but she knew that that was probably a conversation for a more private time; she didn't want Santana getting all closed off tonight.

As silence fell upon the five of them, Santana spoke up, not liking the quietness.

"So, does anyone know what was up with Puckerman?" Santana asked, as she flicked through a magazine that was lying on the coffee table.

Rachel and Finn traded silent, knowing glances, before just shrugging and not entering any information into the conversation. Rachel didn't want to bring up that Noah admitted that he liked her yesterday, as she didn't know how that would go down with Quinn and she also knew that if Santana got hold of that information, it wouldn't be on the down low for much longer. Rachel also didn't want to discuss whether something was going on with the boy, as she was scared she would get upset. How Noah had acted after school today was definitely not right and Rachel was just hoping that he was okay.

"Not sure, but I definitely didn't like how he shouted at Rachel," Quinn spoke up from her spot next to Rachel, quite liking the arm of the armchair all of a sudden.

"Neither," Finn said casually, as he finished off his water.

Rachel smiled slightly at the feeling of being so protected by her friends, but then frowning as she realised they were protecting her from her _other_ friend. It was all a little confusing and Rachel didn't fancy thinking too much tonight, so she got up quickly and spotted exactly what would distract everyone's thoughts.

"Oooh, twister!" Rachel grinned excitedly, as she walked over to the corner of the lounge, and pulled the box from under some books.

Quinn immediately turned her attention to the small brunette and her mind raced with the many images of playing twister with Rachel. Her mind went to work, just as it always did; _"We can't play twister with Rachel, especially with the other guys in the room! Oh, come on, get a grip girl, it's just an innocent game of twister, where we have to kind of tangle our limbs with hers and maybe fall over and pull… her… on top of you… accidently… yeah, okay, we can't do this! Make some excuse! We are allergic to twister! Seriously, Quinn? Umm, we can't play on the mat, because all the coloured dots make us go psycho! Yeah, that's really going to get the girl to like us! Okay, just suck it up and play the game!"_

"Yeah, sounds good," Quinn smiled uneasily, as she got off the armchair to help Rachel.

"I bet it does," Santana mumbled from her seat, as Quinn quickly shut her up with a glare.

Rachel went about setting up the mat and then stood up to announce the rules, taking charge. Okay, so maybe Rachel did have a little bit of the old Rachel still in her.

"Okay, guys. Right, no cheating, like, no pushing other people over or tickling the others to make them lose. We play right up until the last person is standing, and if you fall, you are definitely out and then…" Rachel was still going on as Finn grabbed the spinner and flicked the arrow to make it spin round.

"Okay, Rachel, right foot red," Finn winked at the girl, to show her that he wasn't being mean, but kind of just wanted to get on to playing.

"Well, I would usually find that rather rude, but to be honest I don't actually know all the rules, so it's probably for the best that we start playing," Rachel nodded confidently, before placing her right foot onto the red circle.

Rachel watched as Quinn got ready to take her place on the mat. She knew that picking this game probably wasn't the best game to pick, but as soon as Finn called out that Quinn had to put her right foot on the yellow and the blonde moved to stand with her back to Rachel, lightly swaying her hips unconsciously, Rachel didn't care anymore, because, damn, look at that ass.

"Okay, Santana, left hand yellow," Finn called out, casually chewing on the collar of his shirt.

Santana jumped off the couch, and smirked passed Quinn, as she moved to the other end of the mat and bent down to place her left hand on the yellow circle, smiling at Brittany from behind.

"My turn!" Brittany clapped, as she was transfixed by the ass that was blatantly swaying in her eye line from Santana.

"Left foot red, Brittany," Finn smiled.

The blonde skipped towards the mat, before placing her foot, just next to a bent Santana.

Spin, spin, spin.

"Okay, Rachel, right hand blue," Finn stated as he smirked, when everyone else, bar an oblivious Rachel, knew where the girl's head would be.

Rachel smiled at the boy, before quickly bending over to place her hand on said circle. It was only when she slightly raised her eye level, that she was greeted with an eyeful of ass; Quinn's ass. Rachel blushed immediately and didn't dare raise her eyes, as she could feel the blonde's eyes looking down at her, a glint of mischievousness sparkling within them. Rachel cursed inwardly at herself for picking this game. _"Okay, abort mission! Abort mission! Why the hell did we pick this game? We thought it would be fun? It is, but now we have her perfect, oh so perfect rear end in our face and we are meant to act nonchalant? Yes. Oh, okay. Let's just forget that we are highly aroused by being in such close proximity with the girl, and let's just praise to whoever the genius was that invented this highly inappropriate children's game."_

"Quinn, oh, right hand blue," Finn sing sang his orders, as he chuckled into his shirt.

Santana furrowed her eyebrows at the boy's odd behaviour, before she watched Quinn bend down and lean backwards on her right hand on a blue circle, as the blonde's face came within a few inches from Rachel's, making both girls blush uncontrollably. Santana looked over to Finn, who only winked at her, before spinning the arrow.

Santana chuckled and knew how the boy was playing this game and for once, she actually had respect for him. Watching Quinn getting all flustered and embarrassed would be fun for her too.

"Santana, left foot red," Finn called, as the arrow landed on said colour.

Santana smirked up at Brittany, before sliding her foot across to be on the circle next to Brittany's foot. The blonde giggled, before telling Finn to hurry up her turn.

"Britt, right foot red," he exclaimed.

The girl grinned down towards Santana, before putting her foot just the other side of the brunette's.

Finn laughed at the look on all four girls faces. Rachel and Quinn were completely avoiding each other's eyes, but inwardly enjoying their positions, even if Quinn felt like her arm was going to give out at any second. And Santana and Brittany were just exchanging sexually playful looks, as they tried their best to touch each other teasingly without losing the game.

"Okay, Rachel? Left hand yellow," Finn grinned, behind the spinner, as he watched the girl completely freeze.

"Left hand yellow?" Rachel asked, needing time to prepare of how to go around this.

"Yep, that's what I said," Finn teased, loving the fact that Rachel was completely lost for words.

"Okay, yeah, yeah, I can do that," Rachel started, fidgeting a little bit, as she manoeuvred her hand to wrap around the left side of Quinn, to try and place her hand on the free circle.

Rachel could feel Quinn's soft hair tickling the side of her neck, as she inhaled the girl's scent. She was so near to putting her hand down, but could feel her chest touching against the blonde's warm shoulder and didn't know if she could be so close to the girl anymore.

*knock knock knock* *ding dong ding dong*

"The pizzas! I'll get it!" Rachel exclaimed manically, before jumping up and running to the front door, to leave a completely flabbergasted blonde, gaping like a fish, as she collapsed onto the mat, looking a little dazed.

Santana and Brittany got up and joined a laughing Finn on the couch.

"Okay Hudson, I think I owe you a fist-bump, because that, well, that was genius," Santana nodded, as she held up her fist for the boy to return, of which he did, with great pleasure.

"Why thank you," Finn said, through chuckles.

Rachel bounded back into the lounge, carrying four pizza boxes and a salad box.

"Okay, now we can have the TV on, and _I _am picking the channel, so there is no fighting," Quinn exclaimed as Rachel put the pizzas and salad on the coffee table, as everyone started to dig in.

Quinn was looking around the floor, before she remembered something and stared at Santana, who was pushing down a whole slice of pizza.

"Santana?" Quinn asked, as her hands were planted on her hips.

"Yes Quinn?" Santana smirked, as she wiped her cheesy lip, knowing exactly what Quinn was trying to get at.

"I need the remote," the blonde stated.

"Well then, come and get it," Santana raised her eyebrow.

"I… I would rather you just gave it to me," Quinn stuttered, not really wanting to go down her friend's top, but was prepared to if Santana was going to be so stubborn.

"Sorry, got pizza sauce on my hands, you better come get it," Santana winked, as she knew Quinn would be embarrassed, the blonde had always been a little shy when it came to being close to someone, especially as Rachel was just sitting watching.

"Fine, I will," Quinn said determinedly.

Walking up slowly to Santana, Quinn stopped just between her legs and stared at her with a hint of jokey anger, before Brittany spoke up.

"Come on Quinn, I want to watch TV, just get the remote," Brittany said casually as she flew her slice of pizza in the air while making 'choo choo' noises, before entering it in to her mouth and grinning.

Rachel slowly lowered her plastic salad fork, as Quinn entered her arm down Santana's top and grabbed the remote, which resulted in Santana's top pushing down slightly, to reveal Quinn's hand accidently sliding up the girls chest when she pulled the remote out. Quinn was blushing, not because she was attracted to Santana, but because she just felt bare skin under her hands and as she was slightly aroused from being around Rachel, it just made her senses ten times more sensitive. Down on the floor, sat an equally blushing brunette, who had just watched Quinn's pale hands run up Santana's chest accidently, which made Rachel lick her lips, before she had to distract herself with her salad.

"Okay, we are going to watch Ellen Degeneres on catch up, because that's funny and we all like it and it's not about lesbians," Quinn said as she glanced at Santana.

"Well, it kind of is, because she is a lesbian," Rachel corrected the blonde, as she sucked on a tomato.

Quinn had to control herself from just kissing Rachel again. Did she really have to suck on a tomato?

"Okay, that's true, but it's funny, so we can just watch that," Quinn smiled.

Everyone agreed and sat back as they enjoyed their pizza and salad.

On the TV, Ellen appeared on screen and introduced the episode Quinn had randomly picked from the catch up list.

"And on today's show, I will be talking and discussing my coming out story…"

Santana and Finn just laughed at the irony, as Brittany clapped and Rachel and Quinn stared wide eyed at the screen, not even chewing or looking at each other, before gradually starting to chew again and just finishing off their food as quickly as they could, so they could turn the TV off, because to say it was awkward was an understatement. They hadn't discussed their sexualities with much detail yet, but they were trying to avoid any sexual content to be discussed tonight and Ellen wasn't helping.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Man, those pizzas were gooooood," Finn exclaimed as he relaxed back into the couch.

"I'll second that," Quinn smiled from her spot on the floor.

"I have a massive food baby right now," Santana stated, slapping her stomach, "it is so not a sexy look."

"I think you're still sexy San," Brittany smile innocently, as she cleared the boxes, to make them into a neat pile on the coffee table.

Rachel smiled at Brittany's statement, thinking it was cute, before she relaxed back against the armchair, next to Quinn.

"What time is it?" Rachel asked casually.

"Only six," Finn shrugged, as he checked his phone.

"What time did you need us to go Quinn?" Rachel asked politely, as she turned to look at the blonde.

Quinn turned to see Rachel as well and gulped at how pretty the brunette looked under the dim lighting of her lounge.

"Whenever you want really, my dad doesn't mind, but I was hoping you would stay a little longer," Quinn said, her eyes swirling with hazel diamonds.

"You, meaning all of us right?" Santana teased.

"Yes, all of you," Quinn rolled her eyes, as she turned back to the room again.

"What shall we do?" Rachel asked, as she nibbled on a salad leaf she still had left.

"Twister!" Brittany cheered from her position of lying across the couch, legs spread across Santana and then over Finn.

"No!"

"No way!"

Rachel and Quinn exclaimed simultaneously, before bashfully lowering their heads and looking at anything but each other.

"Okay, not that game then, I wonder why," Santana laughed, before Quinn threw a cushion into the brunette's face.

"Umm… what about… oh! Sardines?" Finn smiled excitedly; he was just a big kid at heart.

"I love that game," Rachel smiled, closing her salad box.

"I think I remember that one, explain quickly," Santana looked to Finn.

"Well, basically, one of us goes and hides somewhere in the house, excluding Tony's office or Tony and Judy's bedroom, while the rest of us stay in here and count to forty. Then we all go our separate ways and try and find the person who's hiding and when they find them, they don't tell anyone else, they just have to hide with that person as well, until everyone is hiding with the person, but the last one to find the person is the next one to hide," Finn grinned, hoping his instructions made sense; they did to him anyway.

"I think that makes sense," Quinn laughed.

"Yeah, it did to me," Rachel grinned.

"Yay! Let's play!" Brittany smiled excitedly.

"Okay, who wants to hide first?" Finn looked around the girls.

"Umm, I'll go?" Quinn smiled, wanting to get playing, so that she no longer had to sit so close to Rachel, their closeness was killing her.

"Okay, we'll stay here and count to forty. Go!" Finn grinned.

"Crap!" Quinn exclaimed, as she jumped up from the floor and scrambled out of the room, slamming the door shut and running up the stairs, not so quietly.

Running past her dad's office, she quickly popped her head around the door and whispered speedily.

"Dad, we're playing sardines, so I am sorry if we're a little noisy. Got to go!" Quinn said manically, before shutting the door and running down the hallway, waving her hands in the air silently, when she heard the others starting to come out of the lounge.

"Shiiiiit!" Quinn cursed under her breath, before she dived dramatically into the bathroom, hopping into the bath and crouching.

Her heart was pumping fast just from the adrenaline of playing the game and she was breathing hard. She could hear someone creeping up the hallway, but had no clue who it was and she could also hear someone rummaging in the spare bedroom down the hall.

It was only when she moved slightly in the bath, that she realised her ass was now completely soaked. She didn't know her dad had had a bath when he had got back from work, but she wish that she had checked that before jumping in. Standing up quietly, she tried to pat her ass down, but it was no use; it was soaked through.

"Damn it," Quinn hissed, forgetting she was meant to be silent.

"Ha!" Rachel exclaimed excitedly, but quietly, as she turned around the bathroom door, having heard Quinn.

"Oops?" Quinn said dumbly, as she moved so Rachel could slip into the bath next to her.

Quinn was now thinking that she would give anything to be back down in the lounge next to Rachel, because this was so worse; the brunette was practically pushing up against her side and her breathing was all the blonde could hear. Quinn moved a little to look out of the crack in the door, but doing so, she rubbed her back and ass against Rachel.

The brunette smirked at the action but then looked down at Quinn's ass not so subtly and her eyebrow rose at what she saw.

"Umm Quinn?" Rachel whispered.

"Yeah?" The blonde whispered back, still peering out of the gap.

"Umm… why is your ass wet?" Rachel whispered through a chuckle.

"And why did I find that sentence really sexy and arousing?" Quinn thought, before snapping out of her daze and turning round to meet Rachel.

"I didn't realise the bath was wet and crouched down when I was hiding. You're socks are probably going to be wet, sorry," Quinn laughed quietly, trying to cover her embarrassment.

"Okay, I'm glad that it was the water in the bath and not that the adrenaline was getting too much for you," Rachel winked, as they shared giggles quietly.

As silence fell upon them, it didn't last for long, as they heard a voice coming up the hallway, so they both leaned so they could look out of the gap.

Skipping down the hallway, completely buzzed off too much cola, was Brittany.

"Got to find Rachel, got to find Rachel! No! Quinn! Got to find Quinn, Quinn, got to find Quinn!" Brittany rushed out, skipping while quickly peering into each room, not even looking properly, as she rushed around the place like a child on candy.

As the hyper blonde peered into the bathroom, she looked straight at a wide-eyed Rachel and Quinn, before skipping back out and continued to sing her mantra, "got to find Quinn! Got to find… wait, a minute."

Skipping back up the hallway, she peered back into the bathroom, where Rachel and Quinn were still frozen, eyes-wide at their manic friend, before Brittany squealed in delight and jumped into the bath and snuggling between the two.

"Found Quinn! This is the best day ever!" Brittany cheered, hugging the blonde, as she jumped up and down excitedly.

"Well, I think the others may find us now," Quinn laughed, realising how loud the other blonde was being.

"Can I join the party?" Santana smirked, as she made her way into the bathroom, before cramping herself in between the other three, as they all waited for Finn to find them.

Silence fell upon the four, as Brittany was hugging them all into a big hug, just happy to be surrounded by the people she loved.

"Well, this is cosy," Rachel deadpanned, which resulted in a muffled giggle from Quinn and a scoff from Santana, while Brittany was oblivious that anyone had even talked.

"There you guys are!" Finn sighed as he rushed round the bathroom door.

"Finally!" Quinn laughed, squeezing out of the bath.

"I was downstairs, looking in the laundry room and things," Finn laughed at his stupidity.

"Okay, your turn, we'll go downstairs," Rachel smiled, patting Finn on the shoulder, before running down the stairs.

As Finn went to hide, the four girls went down into the lounge and started to count to forty, all just casually looking around the room, waiting to go and play.

Santana was a little bored of counting, so thought it would be fun to tease her friend a little more.

"So, twister was fun, we should do it again some time," Santana said casually, looking at some picture frames on the wall.

"Uh huh," Quinn nodded, reading the magazine that Santana had been earlier.

"Yeah," Rachel said, still counting in her head.

"I mean, it was really fun, being so close to our friends and everything," Santana continued, eying Rachel or Quinn every now and again.

"Yeah, it was fun," Quinn said, trying not to be sucked into Santana's games.

"It must have been fun, because you were going quite red Quinn, it must have been the excitement or something," the brunette chuckled, from beside Brittany.

"Well, it was quite hot in this room," Quinn chimed in.

"Not really, must have just been you," Santana continued, completely forgetting that they were way past forty, "and you, Rachel, you seemed to be licking your lips a lot, I have chap stick for that if you want?"

Rachel froze from her spot, where she was inspecting which DVDs Quinn had, before clearing her throat.

"Umm, yeah, they were a little dry," Rachel stuttered.

"No worries, I have chap stick!" Santana smirked, passing the stick to Rachel, who took it politely.

"Thanks," Rachel said, as she awkwardly applied some chap stick, which she really didn't need.

As the four girls got into deep discussion about the camping trip that was happening in two weeks time, Finn was cooped up in Quinn's wardrobe, puffing for air.

"God, I need a pee! They'll be coming soon, it will be fine. I can't lose this game, I have to stay here," Finn reminded himself, crossing his legs, even thought he was a guy, but had seen his mom do it, so assumed it helped people who needed a pee.

Downstairs however, the girls would definitely not be coming to find him as they had all completely forgotten about him; not in a mean way, but just because they were deep in discussion and the boy hadn't made a sound, because that was the point of the game unfortunately for him.

"Okay, it's ten past seven, so I better be off," Rachel stretched from her seat on the floor.

Quinn sighed, as she leant over to whisper in Rachel's ear.

"You'll be coming out to the secret garden tonight though right?" Quinn said vulnerably.

"Of course," Rachel smiled against Quinn's ear, "meet me out there at half seven."

Quinn grinned, as Rachel got up and Santana and Brittany also made their way to the front door.

"Thanks for having us Quinn, it was really fun!" Brittany smiled, giving the blonde a squeeze before dragging Santana down the path, leading to the sidewalk.

"Yeah, cheers Quinn! It was _really_ fun!" Santana winked over her shoulder, as she ran down the road with Brittany.

Quinn rolled her eyes, as Rachel made her way out of the house.

"Thanks for the salad Quinn," Rachel smiled sweetly.

"No problem. I'll see you in a minute okay?" Quinn smiled, looking forward to spending some time with Rachel alone.

"Sure will," Rachel smiled over her shoulder as she swayed down the path.

"Dayum," Quinn said, as she watched Rachel's hips move.

"What?" Rachel asked over her shoulder, causing Quinn to straighten up and clear her throat, before immediately diverting her eyes away from Rachel's backside.

"Nothing, I said door, I have to shut the door after me, just reminding myself," Quinn laughed nervously, before snorting while she laughed and just dropping her head, giving up.

"Okay, sure, I'll see you later," Rachel laughed, jogging down the sidewalk to get to her house quicker.

"Oh god, Quinn," the blonde mumbled, as she closed the door behind her and made her way up to her bedroom.

Passing her dad's office, she quickly shouted over her shoulder.

"Dad, I'm going to pop out to the secret garden for a bit, I won't be long," Quinn said quickly, jogging up the next flight of stairs to her room.

"Okay, don't be late!" She heard her father shout after her.

As she was grabbing her camera and a hoody, she realised that that hoody was a little dirty, so she went over to her wardrobe to grab a clean one.

Pulling open the handle, she jumped back and screeched a little.

"Shit! Christ, oh my god!" Quinn panicked, shuffling back, before she saw wide eyes looking back at her and Finn looking rather sweaty.

"Jeez, Finn, I completely forgot you were here!" Quinn let her heart go back to pumping normally, before she grabbed a hoody from next to the boy, as he got out and stretched.

"It gets hot in the wardrobe," Finn chuckled awkwardly, "has the game finished then? Did I win?"

Quinn looked at him guiltily, as she shuffled on her feet, her camera dangling round her neck. She didn't want to sadden the boy and she also didn't want to explain that they had actually finished about half an hour ago.

"Umm, you won Finn, congratulations," Quinn smiled uneasily, "but, you can go now, the others literally just left, they were umm, a little jealous that you had won, so wanted to leave early."

Quinn winked at the boy, as he cheered that he had won, before leaving the bedroom and making his own way out of the house.

"Bye Quinn!" Finn shouted from the front door.

"See you tomorrow!" Quinn shouted back, before hearing the front door close.

She smiled at the evening she just had, before moving over her room, to look over at the window she had grown to love. Looking back at exactly the same time was a grinning Rachel, clutching her notepad, waving to Quinn. The blonde bashfully waved back, before exiting her room and running down the stairs like a kid on Christmas.

She was looking forward to just relaxing in their secret garden, listening to Rachel's words and maybe, just maybe, tasting Rachel's lips once again. Oh, and sorting out when this damn date is going to be; she couldn't wait much longer.


	12. Chapter 12

**N/A **Hey everyone :) Sorry it's been so long… again! Been on holiday, then had family stuff and then had my A Level results (YAY, I GOT INTO UNIVERSITY!) and then just been out and about. So, sorry for the time it has taken me to update.

Reviews are always welcome (plus, they speed up my updating time, but that's not blackmail, I promise!) … and also, thanks for the favs. and alerts; means a lot! :)

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Quickly running past her dad's office, on her way down the next flight of stairs, she stopped suddenly and peered back through his door. Laying down, face in his arms, Tony was fast asleep, snoring softly, with his computer still wide awake and pen marks on his cheek. Quinn giggled quietly to herself, before gently walking across the room and rubbing her dad's shoulder.<p>

"Dad," she whispered.

No movement, just a whole lot of snoring.

"Dad, you need to go to bed," she tried again.

Slowly rubbing his eyes and coming around from his random nap, he looked at his computer screen and sighed; he hadn't even started the report.

"Sorry Quinn, must have been more tired than I thought," he chuckled, saving his document and closing down his computer.

"Just go to bed dad, I know it's only half seven, but you look exhausted," Quinn said, tidying his desk a little and smiling at the pen mark on his stubbly cheek.

"Yeah, I might just go and read in bed or something," Tony smiled softly, before getting up from behind his desk and moving to the office door, Quinn in tow.

"I will be back by 9," Quinn smiled as they stood in the hallway.

"Have fun sweetheart," Tony grinned.

"I will," Quinn replied, "is mom coming home tonight?"

Tony looked down at the mention of his wife, before taking a deep breath and sighing.

"Probably not, she's most likely gone to stay at Fiona's," Tony said, seeming a little tired of the whole subject.

"Has she said anything to you about the fashion show yet?" Quinn asked hopefully, wanting her mom to have told her dad that it has moved to this weekend.

"Yes, she's told me sweetie, no need to worry. It's been moved to this weekend or something," Tony waved her off, rubbing his eyes and swaying a little.

"Okay, someone needs to sleep," Quinn chuckled, steadying her dad.

"I'll have my phone on, so if you need anything, then just give me a ring, okay?" Quinn stated, walking her dad to his bedroom door.

"Stop worrying honey, you're the kid, not me," he chuckled, hugging her quickly, before kissing her goodbye.

"You're right, see you in a bit," she smiled, as she ran down the next flight of stairs and out the back door.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Opening her rusty gate with a little shove, Quinn walked into the secret garden and smiled at the sight. She had missed this place, it hadn't been long since they were here last, but it seemed like years. The fresh, fall scent, the light of the low sun, along with the rays of the bright moon, made the atmosphere of this simple, yet fascinating place, all the more beautiful. Seeing Rachel sitting on her pink log, reading her notebook and smiling fondly at it, Quinn moved quietly on to the blue log and sat down.

"Words are amazing, aren't they?" Rachel whispered, not taking her eyes away from her book.

Quinn was slightly startled by Rachel's voice, mainly because it was silent in the garden, apart from the night songs of the birds in the trees above, and Rachel wasn't even looking at her.

"Yes," Quinn smiled.

"They can describe things that music maybe can't, they can tell us things that are eyes can't express and they can comfort someone through letters when we can't manage to say them," Rachel said softly, "I just really like them."

Quinn wasn't quite sure what to say, only that the girl opposite her was making Quinn fall harder each second.

"I'm starting to love words more every day," Quinn grinned.

At this, Rachel finally raised her head, emotion swirling in her eyes and let a small smile form on her lips, which was the smile made for Quinn. It wasn't a grin, but it wasn't a tight smile, it was a simple gesture which showed the blonde that the brunette was completely content in her company and could happily spend many hours just sitting here with her.

Rachel finally looked away, getting caught up with what her head was telling her and what her body was telling her.

"So, you can read this page today if you'd like?" Rachel turned her notebook round and pushed it onto Quinn's lap.

Quinn nodded her head silently at the brunette, before looking down at the page and furrowing her eyebrows a little.

On the page, was one simple sentence; a quote. Quinn was working out what it meant and when she finally understood the quote, she really liked it, but she couldn't quite understand how this connected with Rachel.

In neat, swirly writing, it read, "Some people spend so long trying to make a living that they forget to make a life."

"I think it's inspiring Rach, but what does it mean to you?" Quinn looked up, cocking her head to the side.

"My grandfather of my dad," Rachel started, tucking her hair behind her ear, and ducking her head a little, "he was a very wealthy man, a very successful man at that. But was he happy? My dad will never know. Dad told me a few years ago, that that's what his father, Fred, said to him before he passed away. He said, "Michael, some people just spend so long trying to make a living that they forget to make a life. I've done exactly that and I regret it. I want you to make a life, forget above making a living, but just live. Please, make a life." I remember that dad has always lived by that now; his job is only to get the money to make a life, not a living. I hope that I, too, can live by that, hence why I'm following my dream of becoming a writer and not going down the path of Broadway," Rachel smiled shyly.

Quinn smiled in awe and just let Rachel's story sink in. Quinn loved hearing about Rachel's past, or a little about Rachel's family, because it interested her, it gave her little insights into why Rachel is the way she is and what the brunette's family is like.

"That's amazing," Quinn managed to say.

"I like to think it's something that can push me in life, make something of myself, make something of life," Rachel grinned.

"Wow, and to think I was just going to show you a photograph I took of a leaf," Quinn deadpanned, "I might need to up my game a little."

Rachel laughed and took her notebook back to close it, before moving and sitting on Quinn's log.

"I like looking at your photographs, just because it isn't like my writing, doesn't mean it's any less important or interesting," Rachel smiled, taking Quinn's camera, which still hung around the blonde's neck and looked at the picture of the golden, orange leaf, surrounded by crispy, dying, brown leaves.

As Rachel looked closer, it resulted in her pulling the camera, which then resulted in pulling Quinn's neck closer to the brunette. Rachel was oblivious to how close she was pulling Quinn, but the blonde was definitely not; breathing deeply and staring wide eyed at the brown hair that was inches away from her face.

"I actually really like it. You can tell a story from this, because the orange leaf is standing out from the rest, almost as to say that you don't have to follow the crowd, be who you are…" Rachel started off, turning to finish her sentence by looking at Quinn, but losing her words when her nose lightly brushed the blonde's.

"… and, and, let yourself… shine," she finished off.

Quinn didn't wait; she quickly ducked her head and captured the brunette's lips in a passionate kiss. Forgetting about the picture, Rachel let the blonde's camera fall back to hang around Quinn's neck, as the brunette placed her hands on each side of Quinn's face.

They were getting used to how each other kissed, which way to turn and what made the other moan. Tilting her head, Rachel licked and sucked at Quinn's top lip, resulting in the little throaty moan that Rachel would never tire of.

Quinn wanted to feel, to touch or move a little closer, but she wasn't ready, she was content with just the kissing, because by the effects that it was having on her body, she was sure that she would never need anything else.

Rachel pulled away to intake some much needed oxygen, before going in for one last hot, open-mouthed kiss, before she let a grin take over her lips; as Quinn did the same.

"This Friday evening, will you go out on a date with me?" Quinn asked, her eyes filled with want.

"An official date?" Rachel smiled.

"If that's okay with you? I'll pick you up at 6:30," Quinn grinned, a little blush on her cheeks.

"I thought you'd never ask," Rachel winked, kissing Quinn once more.

They settled back down on the log and Quinn was sorting something out on her camera, when Rachel started to talk.

"Is your dad okay?" Rachel said quietly.

Quinn looked up and saw the brunette looking a little vulnerable.

"I'm not sure, I think it was just to do with my mom," Quinn said just as quietly, subtly taking Rachel's hand in hers, stroking the back of the smooth skin.

Rachel relaxed at the contact and sighed.

"I'm sorry that you had to hear them arguing, I didn't know what to do," Rachel said, looking deeply into Quinn's eyes.

"Don't worry Rach, I've heard them arguing before. My mom has been quite distant lately and I think it upsets my dad, but also, I feel as though he's giving up. Things were looking a little better with my mom after she applauded me at the pageant, but since then, not much has happened, apart from the arguing," Quinn mumbled, giving a weak smile to Rachel.

Rachel nodded her understanding before leaning over and resting her head onto Quinn's strong shoulder.

Silence fell over them, but they were okay with it. It was, well… nice.

"So, looking forward to the camping trip next week?" Quinn said into the air.

Rachel leaned away from Quinn so that she could see the girl's face. Smiling once, she stood from the log and sat cross-legged on the blankets on the floor instead; her butt was becoming numb on the log.

"I am really excited actually, being outside for a change," Rachel grinned.

Quinn missed having the brunette next to her, but didn't make it obvious, she just stretched out a little bit now, leaning on her left hand next to her.

"It will be good and I'm sure it will be hilarious, what with there being a river, mud and a Santana," Quinn laughed.

Rachel joined in and pictured it in her head, before she shook her head and spoke up.

"No, I think you're missing something. It will be hilarious, because of mud, Santana and _Brittany_. I'm sure they will be getting into some trouble on the trip. I can't see Santana missing the opportunity to have a mud wrestle with Brittany," Rachel laughed back.

"True, very true," Quinn nodded.

"But, it's going to be freezing. I can't believe they're making us go in September, just crazy I tell you," Rachel shook her head, shivering a little as she thought about being in a freezing tent next to a river.

Quinn giggled at Rachel, as the brunette kept shaking her head.

"Would you play in mud?" Quinn asked out of the blue.

Rachel furrowed her brows at the random question.

"I've been known to, yes," Rachel said, but then continued, "obviously when I was little, you know, not like it was a couple of weeks ago or anything."

Quinn just quirked an eyebrow, as she looked down at the brunette.

"Yeah, of course," the blonde nodded, with a small smirk in place.

The blonde kept looking at Rachel with a questioning look until the brunette would confess.

Two minutes of silence passed.

"Okay, fine! It was on Friday evening, when I went out on a walk with my dads. We went through the fields a few miles away and there was this massive mud puddle and, well, I just couldn't help myself," Rachel defended.

"And you are how old?" Quinn laughed.

"Shut up! You would have jumped in it too, if you had been with me," Rachel pouted.

Quinn grinned and then bowed her head.

"I wish I had been with you, it sounded fun," Quinn smiled sweetly.

Rachel's cheeks blushed a little at the words. Having Quinn with her would have made it that little bit more fun.

"Well, at the camping trip, I dare you to wear just a swimming costume and jump right into a massive mud puddle," Rachel nodded defiantly.

Quinn smile vanished as she gawped at the brunette.

"In September?! In just a swimming costume?! Are you trying to give me pneumonia?!" Quinn said, as she tried to hide her grin.

"Fine, you can wear socks," Rachel bargained.

"Oh great, thank you, socks will keep me warm," Quinn rolled her eyes.

"If you do it, I will do it," Rachel folded her arms.

"Right, let me get this straight, if I jump into a mud puddle, in just a swimming costume and… socks, you will do it too?" Quinn said, biting her bottom lip, trying to figure out what the catch was.

"Umm… yes," Rachel answered.

"Okay," Quinn said slowly, "but I still can't understand what the point of it will be."

Rachel pursed her lips and looked into the distance, as she let her crossed arms fall.

"To be honest, neither am I," Rachel mumbled.

"Oh well, deal," Quinn said quickly, as her mind's thoughts of Rachel in a swimming costume overpowered her rational normal thoughts.

Rachel looked at her blankly before bursting into laughter.

"You're really going to do that?" Rachel laughed, clutching her stomach.

"Yes, and that means, so are you," Quinn grinned a big, shit-eating grin, as she got up off her log and checked her phone.

"It's ten past eight, when did you need to be home?" Quinn asked the brunette.

"Why? Are you going to walk me to my door?" Rachel asked, faking a loving look and batting her eyelashes.

"No, that's for the date. Now, answer my question," Quinn winked.

Rachel smiled inwardly when Quinn mentioned she would walk her to her door on the date; _so romantic. _Rachel thought for a second that she didn't think Quinn understood how much little romantic gestures meant to her. Well, on Friday, the blonde would find out.

"Whenever I want to really, but not after 10, as it's a school night… so not really whenever I want, more like before 10," Rachel rambled, before furrowing her brows as she confused herself with her sentence.

"Okay, so you need to be home before 10?" Quinn asked back.

"Yes," Rachel said, finally figuring out what she had just said before.

"Okay, well, fancy coming back to mine for a bit? As, it's kind of getting cold out here," the blonde said, collecting her camera.

Rachel just nodded, as she picked up her notepad and ventured through Quinn's gate, to follow the blonde.

"It's weird coming out of the secret garden this way," Rachel muttered, more to herself, but Quinn had heard.

"Well, maybe you should come this way more often, that way you can see me more!" Quinn grinned cheekily, and carried on walking.

Rachel just smiled and shook her head at Quinn's goofiness.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Approaching the house, Quinn opened her back door and went in, turning on the kitchen's lights and dumping her coat and camera on the side, out of the way.

"Would you like a drink?" Quinn asked.

Rachel had just walked in and was now looking around the spotless white kitchen, with marble counters and a big centre piece, with high breakfast stools.

"I didn't really look at this kitchen earlier, but now I have, it's crazily modern," Rachel said, brushing her fingertips along the counter.

Quinn laughed and got two glasses out, even though Rachel hadn't said if she wanted a drink.

"Yeah, not my thing, but oh well," Quinn shrugged and poured them both some blackcurrant squash.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, genuinely interested.

"I just don't like how big my house is and how _glamorous _everything has to be," Quinn said casually, "I would prefer it if we had stuff that actually meant something to us."

Rachel sipped her drink and nodded in understanding.

"You should come round mine again sometime, I think you would like it there," Rachel smiled sweetly.

"I have been round before, remember?" Quinn laughed.

"I know, but you said you like simple and stuff that means things, so you must have liked my house?" Rachel grinned.

"I loved your house," Quinn grinned as well, before leading the way up the first flight of stairs.

Walking quietly past her dad and mom's room, which was quickly becoming just her dad's, she quickly checked in to see if he was okay.

Lying under his covers, with his book long forgotten about on top of his chest, Tony was fast asleep with just his side light on.

Quinn tried not to giggle at the sight. Motioning to Rachel to just stay at the door, Quinn tip-toed past the bed and silently turned his light off, removed his book from his chest and gave her dad a small kiss on the forehead.

"Love you dad," she whispered, as she quietly closed the door.

Rachel could have sworn that she welled up a little at the scene that just played out. _Could a daughter and dad get any cuter?_

"Umm, Rach?" Quinn said quietly, as she moved towards the next flight of stairs, "you okay?"

Rachel shook her head and let the dopey smile fall from her lips.

"You love him a lot," Rachel stated.

Quinn just laughed.

"I sure do," Quinn smiled, as they ascended the stairs, "what made you say that?"

"Just the way you speak to him and how he speaks to you, the way you help him out and the way you smile proudly at him," Rachel said wistfully, "I like Mr. T too."

Quinn smiled at Rachel as they reached the top of the stairs and turned right to get to Quinn's door.

"I'm glad you like my dad Rach, but do you want to come down from the stars now? You've gone all away-with-the-fairies on me," Quinn giggled.

"Okay, okay, but just tell Mr. T that I think he's cool," Rachel smiled.

"I will do," Quinn rolled her eyes playfully, as she opened her bedroom door.

Walking in, Quinn went and sat on her bed, kicking off her shoes as she did so.

"Wow, I've never seen your room before," Rachel smiled, letting her eyes scan everything they could.

Quinn thought for a moment.

"Oh yeah, you actually haven't," the blonde stated.

"Your walls are amazing. This room is the complete opposite to the rest of your house, I can see why you like spending time up here," Rachel grinned, before looking at the wall near her wardrobe.

There were posters, pictures, bits of paper with writing on them and magazine cut-outs. There were no blank spaces; just complete and utter chaos, but it was Quinn's chaos of things that have a meaning to her.

"You've got that right, this is my haven. Everything on those walls has some meaning to me, no matter how big or small the meaning is. You can come and sit here if you want, you've been staring at that wall for ages," Quinn said, leaning forward to try and see Rachel's face.

"You said everything on here has a meaning right?" Rachel asked quietly.

The blonde was a little caught off guard by how small Rachel's voice sounded.

"Yeah, they… they do," Quinn said slowly, trying to engage in what Rachel was feeling.

"Why do you have the first ever note that I passed to you in Math?" Rachel turned around, her eyes glistening under the light.

Quinn looked past the brunette, and saw the little yellow note, with swirly writing and the simple question on it; _"Hey, how are you today?"_

The blonde bowed her head and tried to think of a reason, an excuse if you will, but she couldn't.

"I think my mind was trying to tell me back then, what we've only realised recently," Quinn said quietly, meeting the brown eyes.

"But why that note, I sent you so many after that," Rachel asked, as she moved her way over to sit next to the blonde.

"I suppose it was the first time you ever passed me one, it made me feel special, like it was just between me and you. And even the question showed that you were nice, asking how I was. I just really liked it," Quinn smiled shyly, "I never saw you pass anyone else notes, so I suppose the meaning back then meant a lot to me. It still does."

Rachel smiled sweetly, looking into Quinn's eyes deeply.

"I never did send anyone else notes," Rachel shook her head slowly; "I suppose it all adds up now. I never sent anyone else notes, just you."

Quinn grinned and her eyes brightened.

"Just me?" the blonde felt a little bit smug now.

"Don't get too fond of yourself," Rachel winked back.

Quinn laughed and soon Rachel joined in; it just happened that way.

As they both collapsed back onto the double bed, Rachel was swishing her head and looking above her. Her eyes soon landed upon Quinn's side table and saw a phone.

"You have your own phone in your room?" Rachel asked; a little surprised.

Quinn tilted her head to see the object in question.

"Oh that, yeah, my mom had one put up here because she couldn't be bothered to keep walking up two flights of stairs each time Santana called," Quinn laughed.

"I'm guessing she called a lot then if your mom actually installed another phone," Rachel giggled.

"God yes, that girl can talk for America," the blonde laughed.

"Do you ever use it?" Rachel asked, turning around and sitting next to the phone, admiring how bright the blue colouring of the plastic was.

It was one of those classic phones, with the turn wheel for numbers. Quinn had always wanted one, so when her mom let her chose a phone, Quinn couldn't help but get a classic turn wheel one, in a traditional 80s blue.

"Not so much anymore. I use my mobile a lot now," Quinn said, as she copied Rachel and sat next to the brunette.

"Let's use it!" Rachel grinned excitedly.

"But we don't have anyone to call," Quinn smiled back, as the brunette's grin was contagious.

"I'm sure we can figure something out," Rachel smirked mischievously as she took out her mobile and picked the number she wanted before turning the number into Quinn's phone.

"What are you doing Rach?" Quinn whispered quickly, as she could faintly hear the dialling tone coming out the phone.

"_Hello?"_

"Why hello sir, I am looking on my records and see that ya'll have called twice already this week and I'm sorry to inform ya'll that you've used up all your calls at Sex Hotline XL and that ya'll be sent a bill through the mail this week," Rachel said in a Tennessee, high-pitched female accent; nothing like her own.

Quinn just let her mouth drop open, but could hear the panicked voice of one Finn Hudson on the other end.

"_Mail? I haven't phoned you. Don't mail me, my parents will find it, dude, I haven't phoned the hotline! Oh jeez, got to go!"_

Rachel put the phone back onto its hook and just let the laughter fall from her lungs. Quinn was still slightly stunned at what the brunette had done, but as soon as the image of Finn getting all panicky about a sex hotline mailing him, the blonde fell back next to the brunette and let the genuine laughter rumble inside her.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Quinn squealed.

"You've never prank called anyone before?" Rachel asked, wiping her happy tears away.

"Yeah, when I was like 10. God, it feels good to do it again. So immature, but good," Quinn nodded, as she let the laughter disperse.

"Another one?" Rachel winked.

Quinn just nodded enthusiastically, as she pulled out her mobile as well.

"Can I do this one?" Quinn grinned.

"Yes, but you need good acting skills to be able to pull of the adequate prank call, with a fake accent and the tendency not to laugh at any given moment and never give your real name and…" Rachel was about to continue, but Quinn was just staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, right, yeah, it's just a game," the brunette said, swishing her hair out of her face.

As they silently scrolled through their contacts on their mobiles, Quinn burst out laughing.

"What? What's so funny?" Rachel smiled at the blonde.

"This one could be good… but dangerous," Quinn said, hiding her screen from Rachel's view.

"What? Is it some mass murderer of something?" Rachel veined shock.

"Yes, I would definitely have a mass murderer on my contacts list," Quinn nodded, before they both giggled and the blonde continued.

"No, look…" Quinn turned her screen and showed Rachel the contact.

It was so immature and completely pathetic, but they both burst into laughter at the prospect of phoning this certain person; just to see what the person's reaction would be like.

"That's brilliant," Rachel nodded, "we're doing him."

Quinn nodded as well, before looking wide eyed at Rachel.

"Well, I hope we're not going to _do_ him, otherwise that's totally wrong and completely illegal," Quinn looked horrified.

"Ha ha, very funny. You knew what I meant," Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Okay, what are we going to say? Well, what am _I _going to say?" Quinn asked.

"Umm, I'm not sure… wait, why do you have Mr Schue's number on your mobile anyway?" Rachel furrowed her eyebrows in Quinn's direction.

"It's nothing weird," Quinn said quickly, before continuing, "I saved it in my contacts after he gave us that speech about not drinking alcohol irresponsibly and that we should ring him if we ever got in trouble."

"Ooh, okay, that explains it," Rachel laughed.

As Rachel and Quinn swapped places, so that the blonde was next to the phone, they were both thinking of pranks they could play. Neither could think of one, so they just had to improvise.

"Okay, I'm just going to ring him, before it gets too late," Quinn said nervously.

Rachel giggled next to her, but then stopped as soon as the blonde had actually turned in the number, as the brunette finally realised how immature they were being. _Oh well, you're only young once._

"Uhh, hello?" Will's voice came through the speaker.

"Hello?" Quinn said in a deeper than normal, Spanish woman's voice.

"Yes, hello, who's speaking?" Will asked.

"Maria, Maria Snogalot," Quinn stated, as Rachel tried to stay quiet next to her.

"I'm kind of busy now, what's the message?" Will said; clearly a little out of breath for some reason.

"_Will, who's on the phone?" _a voice asked from somewhere in the distance on the other end.

"I was just phoning up to let you know that you've won the blow up doll you asked for," Quinn said, trying not to giggle, as that's the first thing that came into her head.

"_Will, honey, just come back to bed, they can wait… however, I can't," _the voice said once again, with a sort of faint purr at the end.

Quinn listened intently, until she realised exactly who that was and her mouth fell agape and she nearly dropped the phone. Not wanting to conjure up any mental images, she didn't wait for Mr Schue to reply; she just slammed down the phone and looked at Rachel with an odd look.

Rachel just looked at her with an equally odd, yet questioning look.

"We don't hang up the phone first, they're meant to," Rachel corrected Quinn's prank calling etiquette.

"I… I… I think we may have disturbed Mr Schue in an awkward situation," Quinn said, shivering as the voice played over in her head.

Rachel looked on, needing more than that.

"He was out of breath," Quinn continued.

"Okay?" Rachel said, clearly not on the same page.

"You heard the other voice?" Quinn asked.

"No, I couldn't hear it very well," Rachel said.

"Okay, well, there was someone else there and he was out of breath and they were trying to get his attention and I really can't get the image out of my head and god, I feel so gross," Quinn rambled on.

"Quinn, what are you on about?" Rachel said, starting to get a little worried.

"Mr Schue and Miss Pillsbury were having sex!" Quinn raised her voice in a shriek, as she covered her face with her hands.

Rachel stared on, before she just burst into laughter, clutching Quinn's shoulder and mumbling things like; _"You heard them… Miss Pillsbury… oh god, that's funny… blow up doll… prank call… your face… sex…" _and Quinn could have sworn she heard Rachel mumble _"peanuts" _somewhere along the line but she just let it slide.

"It's not funny Rach, they were like doing it… the way she said… what she said, eugh, I just can't… eugh!" Quinn shook her head, as the brunette continued to laugh.

Rachel finally stopped clutching at Quinn for support and let herself breath. But each time she took a calming breath, giggles would erupt from her stomach again.

"Okay, okay, I'm stopping… I'm stoppi..." Rachel tried, but just started laughing again.

Quinn had managed to stand up, grab the bottle of water she kept on her desk, drink the whole bottle, return to the bed, change her hoody into her sleepwear one and then sit back down next to the brunette, before Rachel had even begun to calm down.

"I really don't see how it was _that_ funny," Quinn said, leaning back on her bed, the other side of Rachel.

"I just think it's funny, but that's just me," Rachel said, wiping her eyes once more.

"Yes, it's just you," Quinn deadpanned.

"Okay, I'm done," Rachel said, but then continued, "it's really nothing to worry about Quinn… just forget about it."

"I'm trying, it's just Miss Pillsbury is so innocent, so very innocent," Quinn whined.

_Why did she have to make that prank call? Why?_

"Don't think about it, just forget it," Rachel reassured.

"Okay, let's talk about something else," Quinn said quickly.

"Let's talk about how I should probably be going home now?" Rachel offered, for which resulted in a pout from Quinn.

"Okay, I'll walk you to the secret garden," Quinn said softly.

"Oh, how chivalrous," Rachel gushed jokingly.

"Oh, shush," Quinn swatted her arm, as they walked out of Quinn's bedroom.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	13. Chapter 13

**N/A **Oh, look! I updated twice in a row! ;) I know they were both slightly shorter than usual, but I wanted to make up for the time is has taken me to update. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>The bell rang for the end of the day and everyone rushed home, as it was Friday, the end of the week; no one wanted to spend any more time at school than they had to.<p>

Tuesday was fun for Quinn and Rachel, as in Glee, Finn walked in looking a little white. They asked him what was wrong, knowing all too well what he was worrying about, and he just blabbed to them that he was going to get sent mail about a sexline, which he hadn't even been on and that his parents would find it and ground him, for like, years! Finn was clearly worried, constantly checking his phone to make sure his mom hadn't already found the mail and sent him a death text. Rachel couldn't stop laughing, but then realised that they should put him out of his misery; Quinn let him worry a little longer, it was only a joke after all. The brunette took him to the side and quickly explained things to him and he visibly relaxed and started laughing along with Rachel. Quinn rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed that they didn't make the joke last a little longer.

Rachel had tried to talk to Puck on Wednesday, wondering if he wanted to grab some lunch with her, but as she touched his shoulder to talk to him, he shoved her off and mumbled that he was busy. The brunette tried not to take it to heart, but how could she not? He was her best friend. Blinking away her tears and straightening out her shoulders, she went to find Quinn. As they got some salad and sat down with other members of the Glee club, Rachel had scanned her eyes and landed on Puck sitting with another football player, looking her way. As soon as she went to wave civilly, he looked away and started laughing with his mate. Rachel just stared on, wanting Puck to talk to her. The one thing she couldn't understand is that Puck's friend hadn't even made a joke.

Luckily, it was now Friday, which meant good things for Rachel. It was her date; her date with Quinn. She couldn't wait; she was nervous, but an excited sort of nervous. Never been out on a date before meant she was in the complete unknown of what you were meant to do. _What did she wear? How much makeup was deemed appropriate? Would Quinn want her with makeup, or would she want her to go natural? Do you kiss on the first date? _When Rachel worried about her last question, she burst into laughter, knowing all too well, that she didn't have to worry about the etiquette of kissing on the first date; that was already done.

Walking from her closet to her bed and then back again and then once more just because she could, Kurt started to get impatient.

"I know you are nervous about this date with _Quinn_, but you have to calm down. I will be honest and say I wasn't surprised when you phoned me up in a panic and told me that you and Quinn were sort of a _thing_ now and you needed help with getting ready. I knew there was something going on between you two," Kurt rambled on, ignoring Rachel's manic stomping.

"I knew you had probably worked it out anyway. In Glee Club, you kept giving me these knowing glances each time I sat near Quinn, or spoke to Quinn or did _anything_ near Quinn. You could have just asked; you're one of my best friends. But anyway, I need you to help me decide what to wear," Rachel stated, chucking yet another dress onto the 'maybe' pile.

"Clothes would be helpful," Kurt mumbled, "or… maybe they wouldn't?"

Rachel threw a pillow at Kurt for his joke, before getting back to the task at hand.

"Okay, so this dress, or this dress?" Rachel asked, finally deciding on the flowing red one, or the short, black, fitted one.

"Neither," Kurt dismissed, getting off the chair to help the brunette.

"Oh, that's just great," Rachel whined, throwing the dresses onto the bed.

"No, I mean, wearing a short, black dress in September is kind of crazy, it's starting to get cold and also, by the time you come back, the sun would have gone down, making it colder. I think… these black skinny jeans, these _fake_ Jimmy Choo heels and this gorgeous grey, loose-fitting top is perfect," Kurt smiled, holding up his option against a confused Rachel.

"Jeans? For a date?" Rachel asked, "also, they're not _fake_ Jimmy Choos."

"Yes, jeans are sexy, yet sophisticated," Kurt nodded, "plus, it makes your ass look great, even for a gay man like myself."

"Aww, thanks Kurt," Rachel grinned goofily, squeezing her friend's cheek and moving to her bathroom to change into Kurt's choice of outfit.

As she was just locking the bathroom door, Kurt mumbled out towards her.

"They are fake Jimmy Choo shoes, just saying."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

On the opposite side of the gardens, Quinn was starting to panic as well; and she didn't have a calm and collected Kurt to keep her in check.

"Dress or jeans, dress of jeans?" Quinn worried in front of the mirror.

A quiet knock on the door pulled Quinn out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she shrieked, and then coughed to clear her throat.

"Oh wow, I didn't know you were turning your room into a pig sty," Tony laughed.

"Seriously dad, I didn't think a date could be _this_ stressful!" Quinn babbled out, tightening her dressing gown and looking through her wardrobe again.

Tony stepped over a few forgotten pairs of high heels, a random top, a skirt and a dress, before perching against Quinn's desk.

"You've just got to calm down honey. The getting ready bit shouldn't be this stressful. Rachel likes you in your normal clothes, so just glorify that up and bit and you're done!" Tony grinned, thinking that he just solved all the problems.

Quinn turned to him and glared, like what he said was ridiculous, _because it was _to a girl in a before-date panic.

"You seriously don't understand dad," Quinn rolled her eyes and Tony tried to stifle back his chuckle.

Because Quinn was right; Tony will _never_ understand girls.

"Okay, well, I'm just going to leave you on your own, in fear of being killed through girl-rage and head downstairs to the lounge," Tony held his hands up in defence.

The blonde let out a little giggle at her dad's statement and stopped all her movements, by chucking down the two dresses she was holding onto her bed.

Stepping over all the discarded clothes, she made her way over to her dad, before lunging into his arms and giving him a hug.

"I just want it to go well," Quinn sighed, breathing in his comforting scent.

"It will… if you just relax," Tony said.

Quinn nodded against his chest.

"I will tell you something that most people don't say," Tony said, pushing Quinn away by the shoulders and looking down to her, "it's nothing like the movies, or TV programmes… it's sometimes awkward, it's pressurising and it's tiring, but at the end of the day, you make your first date what you make it. It will be memorable no matter how it goes. Just relax and have fun."

Quinn smiled at Tony, before giving him one last hug and walking back over to her wardrobe and picking out a simple, yet elegant maxi dress, with a smart cardigan over the top.

"I will be relaxed in this," Quinn smiled to her father.

Tony just grinned back and went to close the door behind him.

"Oh dad!" Quinn said quickly, "has mom texted you to say that she got to France yet?"

Tony shifted his eyes away and shook his head.

"No, but I'm sure she will soon," he answered, giving her one last weak smile and heading downstairs.

Quinn turned back to the mirror, hoping her mom got to Paris okay and started to get into her outfit, before drying her short hair and putting on some subtle makeup. Grabbing a small purse and going out to her car, quickly checking that the flowers were still in the back seat, she set off to pick up her _date._

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Quinn walked up Rachel's path to the front door, she couldn't help but feel stupid when he fingers were shaking slightly as she rang the doorbell. _It wasn't like the first time she had gone out somewhere with Rachel, why was she so nervous?_

Shaking her head a little, she was surprised when Jason opened the door.

"Oh, hi Jason," Quinn smiled, slightly feeling stupid standing in front of Rachel's dad with a bunch of flowers in front of her.

"Aww, Quinn, are they for me? How thoughtful!" Jason gushed, pretending to take the flowers.

Quinn laughed back nervously, still not confident enough to joke back, as Jason laughed with her as well.

"She's nearly ready!" Kurt shouted, as he ran to meet Jason and Quinn standing at the front door.

Quinn started to blush a lot more now; this wasn't how she planned on picking Rachel up. She now had Jason _and_ Kurt gushing about how beautiful the flowers were.

"Quinn, I must say, you look lovely," Kurt grinned.

"Thanks Kurt, umm, how long will Rachel be? Our reservation is for 7," Quinn smiled back, really wanting Rachel to be here with her.

"Ooh, someone's eager," Kurt winked, which only made Quinn blush more, "she was just getting a purse."

"Okay," Quinn smiled, ignoring Kurt's earlier comment.

As she heard footsteps approaching the door, the blonde let out a sigh. _Thank god_, she could finally give these flowers to Rachel and get out of here. Not that she didn't like Kurt and Jason, she really liked them, it's just two camp, gay men gushing about how pretty the flowers were, how lovely she looked and were chatting excitedly about where Quinn might be taking Rachel; it soon all got a little overwhelming.

"Lovely flowers Quinn, are they for me?" Michael winked, as he joined his husband next to the door frame.

_Or maybe she wouldn't be getting out of here as soon as she thought._

"Of course," Quinn joked back, suddenly feeling that if she joked back, maybe she wouldn't blush as much.

"I want Rachel back by 10, okay?" Michael said, with a bit more authority in his voice.

Quinn stood a little straighter and lowered the flowers.

"Of course, Michael," Quinn smiled, suddenly feeling a little intimidated.

"And don't get into any rough parts of Lima," Michael ordered once again.

"I won't be, it's a twenty minute drive to the restaurant and it goes through no bad parts," Quinn said back, almost as though she was on a mission and couldn't lose any troops along the way.

Michael nodded once and walked back inside, lightly giving Jason's shoulder a squeeze.

"Don't worry about him, he's just a protective father," Jason rolled his eyes while whispering to Quinn, having seen her tense a little from Michael's orders.

"Understandable. I will be driving precious cargo," Quinn joked, playing with a petal on one of the pink gardenias.

Jason laughed along, as Kurt took it too much to heart and covered his chest with his hand, as he just over exaggerated and tried not to 'cry'.

"Sorry I'm late," Rachel said, as she jogged up to the front door, black purse swung over her slender shoulder.

Quinn couldn't help but stare. And she kept staring. And she stared a little more.

Rachel looked beautiful. Her skinny jeans were hugging all the right places, her top left little to the imagination when it came to her cleavage and those shoes made her legs look impossibly longer.

Rachel was looking behind her to try and see what Quinn was so blatantly staring at, until she realised it was herself and then let the blush cover her cheeks and her teeth bite her bottom lip. She had never been admired so much by a person and to have so much attention on her, by the one she liked back as well, it was all so much. She felt immensely self-conscious but with the way Quinn was looking at her, she needn't be.

"You look lovely," Quinn said, being careful with her wording, as Jason and Kurt were still in close proximity.

"Aww," Kurt and Jason sighed at the same time.

"You look lovely too," Rachel bashfully smiled back.

"Oh god," Jason said, trying not to cry.

"These are for you, they match your bedroom," Quinn said, passing Rachel the flowers, feeling stupid for mentioning that she matched it to the brunette's room.

"Thank you," Rachel said, wanting to squeal at how romantic Quinn was unknowingly being, but didn't, at the fear that her daddy might pass out from the cuteness.

The brunette turned to Kurt and asked him to put the flowers in water and take them up to her room, while she was out. The boy gladly accepted the responsibility and was still smiling fondly at the pair. He had known, from like, Freshman year that those two would end up being something; even if that was just a very strong friendship, they were destined to be together in some sort of way.

"Shall we head to the car? We don't want to be late," Quinn smiled.

"Yeah, cool," Rachel smiled back, quickly turning to give Jason a hug and kissing Kurt on the cheek, before walking down the path, just behind Quinn.

"Have fun honeyboo!" Jason shouted out and grinned when he got a mean stare from his daughter over her shoulder.

He hadn't used that nickname for _years._

As the brunette caught up with the blonde, she subtly slipped her hand into Quinn's, just until they got to the car. Rachel was pretty sure she heard Kurt sigh out another 'aww' at the gesture between the two.

Quinn let go of Rachel, as she opened the passenger door for her; grinning like a fool as she did so.

"You really are courteous," Rachel laughed.

"Just trying to suck up to Jason, got to get on your parents good side," Quinn winked jokily, before softly closing the door behind the brunette.

Running around to the driver's side, Quinn gave Jason and Kurt one last wave, before hopping in the car and starting the engine.

"Wow, talk about two emotional gay guys," Quinn laughed.

"Let's get out of here, otherwise they might start running after the car with tears in their eyes or something," Rachel laughed back.

Pulling away from the kerb, they smiled at the pair by the front door. And off onto the journey to the restaurant they went.

"God, aren't they just the cutest?" Jason sighed.

"They really are," Kurt nodded.

"And don't you think you two are over reacting just a _little _bit?" Michael chimed in, as he walked past the pair on his way upstairs.

"No, you just don't understand Mike," Jason shook his head sadly.

"Blah blah blah," Michael mumbled jokingly, as he went up to grab a book.

"Shall we order takeout and watch a movie?" Jason asked Kurt, seeing the boy as a friend, instead of his daughter's friend.

"Will it be a sad romcom?" Kurt asked, sniffing the flowers slightly.

"After watching those two, I think it will need to be," Jason nodded.

"Okay, let's go cry and eat takeout," Kurt nodded back determinedly, before walking in and quickly putting the flowers in water.

Michael walked back downstairs, but decided that maybe he should have stayed upstairs, when Jason suddenly grabbed him by the arm and sat him down to watch 'The Notebook' with him and Kurt.

_It would be one hell of a long evening._

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Reservation for Fabray," Quinn smiled at the smartly dressed waiter.

Looking down the screen in front of him, he scanned the names. Looking back up at Quinn one more time, he went back to the screen and searched again.

While the waiter was trying to find their reservation, Rachel was looking fondly round the restaurant. Quinn wouldn't tell her where they were going; wanting it to be surprise and a surprise it was. She had never even seen this place. It was about a twenty minute journey out of Lima, but you would have thought you were in the heart of New York City or something. This Italian restaurant was beautiful, with vintage tables and art all over the walls. Rachel smiled when she noticed the enormous amount of photographs on the walls, wondering if Quinn wanted to come here because of the photos more than the food.

"I'm sorry, Miss, I can't find a Fabray on my list," the waiter said, with a sad look.

"But I phoned up on Monday night," Quinn said, feeling a little worried.

She wanted this night to go well, not perfect, because she knew that a first date would never go perfectly, but she wanted it to at least be in this restaurant; the one she _had_ booked. It was Italian and they had a huge range of vegetarian and vegan dishes, which she thought would have been good for Rachel.

"It was Fabray right?" the waiter checked one last time.

"Yes, Fabray… F-A-B-R-A-Y," Quinn spelled it out to the man, but then cringed when she realised how patronising it sounded.

The waiter didn't seem to think so, as he just went back to checking the list again.

"Oh, we have a Fanlay," the waiter said, with a confused look.

"Umm, well, that isn't me, but maybe the person who took my call misunderstood?" Quinn asked, hoping that if she could just take a table, then she could get on with her date.

"Hmm, you seem pretty certain that you definitely did book, so I'll take your word for it. Sorry about the misunderstanding," the waiter apologised, as he got two menus and walked over to a table off to the side, near a window.

"No worries," Quinn replied, taking Rachel's hand lightly and walking behind the man.

Sitting down, but forgetting to take Rachel's chair out first, Quinn took off her cardigan. Noticing the brunette pulling out her own chair, she immediately inwardly slapped herself.

"I will be along in a minute to take your order," the man smiled and walked off.

Quinn leaned across the table a little.

"Sorry for not taking out your chair," the blonde said, smiling apologetically.

Rachel just laughed softly.

"It really doesn't matter Quinn, I am not expecting you to do everything for me," Rachel continued, "it's your date, just as much as it's mine."

Quinn relaxed a little and remembered what her dad had told her. _Just be yourself._

"God, who would have thought a first date would be so nerve-wracking," Quinn laughed nervously, wishing her insides would stop turning.

She just liked Rachel so much and she wanted to do everything well, but she had to keep reminding herself that Rachel liked her before this date, so she was hoping if it went bad, Rachel was still going to like her afterwards anyway.

"I was a little nervous as well. Let's just take a deep breath and relax," Rachel said jokingly.

"Good idea. What would you like to eat?" Quinn smiled over her menu.

"Everything looks lovely, there are so many vegan choices," Rachel said, scanning her own menu.

Quinn inwardly did a little cheer, because she _so_ hadn't searched for an hour on the internet to try and find the best vegan restaurant. But it had paid off because Rachel loved the place; and that's all that mattered.

"Umm… I think I am going to go for the tofu and tomato pasta bake," Rachel smiled and licked her lips to exaggerate her point.

Silence fell among them as Rachel sipped the free iced water, and Quinn was still looking at the menu.

"Have you decided yet… Miss… _Fanlay_?" Rachel asked slowly, holding out the syllables in the last word.

Quinn tried to hide her smirk, as she cocked her signature eyebrow. Placing down her menu slowly, she looked at Rachel with a cocky grin. _Two could play at that game._

"Why yes I have… _honeyboo_," Quinn said mischievously.

Rachel gasped and gave her signature pout.

"You heard him say that when we left?" Rachel asked, annoyed at her daddy now.

"I think the whole street heard him," Quinn laughed, sipping her own water.

Rachel just rolled her eyes, as she took a mental note to plead her daddy not to use nicknames anymore.

An hour later and they had both just finished their main meals, which had been delicious and were ordering their desserts.

"Yes, I will have the tiramisu please," Quinn smiled, handing her dessert menu to their waiter.

"I will have the vegan profiteroles please," Rachel grinned at the waiter and settled down into her chair once he was gone.

So far, Quinn thought the date had been great; just spending time with Rachel, on their own, in public, but far enough away from Lima that they wouldn't see anyone from school.

"Oh wow, look at these two coming now," Rachel giggled to herself, pointing subtly to the couple that were kissing as they walked past the window.

"How can they even do that? I would laugh if they walked into a lamppost right now," Quinn laughed wickedly, but then stopped when she could see Rachel's eyes going a little wider.

Turning back to the window to see what Rachel was looking at, she had her own eyes going wider and her laughter wanting to erupt.

These two were really going for it. Up against the window… right in Rachel and Quinn's eyesight. _This wasn't awkward at all._

As the man started slipping his hand around to the woman's ass, Rachel had to stifle her giggle again. The woman's head was against the window, as her husband/lover/affair kissed the life out of her neck.

Quinn could feel herself blushing at the scene, so turned away, which was kind of hard, seeing as they were right _there._

"So um, I was thinking of having a party tomorrow?" Quinn smiled uneasily at Rachel, as the brunette finally took her eyes off the couple.

"Sounds good," Rachel replied, clearly distracted by the couple who were practically dry-humping up against the window.

"Well, my mom is in Paris, so I was hoping that dad would let me have the Glee Club round for a get-together, I think it would be fun," Quinn smiled, gripping her napkin when the woman's head thrashed back against the window, banging loudly and making both girls look at the couple once more.

"Yeah, you totally should, it would be good to have a party," Rachel smiled; finally deciding on sipping water than watching the couple… they were making her blush out of embarrassment.

"Desserts!" the waiter smiled cheerfully, as he placed their respective desserts in front of them.

Both girls were glad for the interruption.

"Enjo… oh, wow, okay, I am just going to get someone to move them along, sorry about the scene unfolding out there, I do apologise," the waiter mumbled quickly, clearing not wanting to watch the couple any more, before he walked away and immediately went out and shooed the couple along.

Laughing as the couple were clearly annoyed with being interrupted, Rachel and Quinn got on with eating their amazing looking desserts.

As Rachel took her first bite of a profiterole, as if in slow motion, the vegan-cream started to squeeze out of the side, falling slowly towards her top. Quinn's eyes went wide, as she put her spoon back down onto her plate. Reaching forward with her napkin, she went to catch it. But she was too late. The cream had fallen onto Rachel's pristine top, leaving a big patch of cream squished into the fabric.

"Oops?" Quinn laughed uneasily, "I was too slow."

Rachel looked down, only now realising why Quinn was stretching across the table towards her chest. Gasping, which resulted in sucking in more cream, Rachel started to cough.

"_Oh god_," Quinn mumbled, getting out of her chair and making her way behind Rachel, before slapping the brunette's back.

The girl kept coughing but quickly grabbed her water and swallowed down the rest of glass, very non-elegantly, before signing to Quinn that she was okay.

The blonde sat back down opposite and waited for Rachel to speak.

"Oh shit, this was one of my favourite tops," Rachel sighed, wiping at the stain.

It was the first time that Quinn had heard Rachel swear and if she was honest, it sounded kind of hot; but she would never admit that to Rachel… _yet._

"I think the cream makes the top look even better," Quinn joked, hoping that Rachel wasn't too mad about her top.

"I knew you would," Rachel scowled jokingly back.

"Let's just get the check and head on home," Quinn laughed, thinking that her dad was right; first dates never go the way you want them to.

"I'm finishing these profiteroles though, even if it's the last thing I do," Rachel said with a nod of the head, tucking back into them.

Quinn looked on with a sparkle in her eye and finished her tiramisu.

The waiter had seen them finish and came over with the card machine, placing down the check and waiting for Quinn to check the amount.

The blonde's eyes nearly came out of her head when she looked at the price of the meal. _They lied; that water wasn't free._ Calmly, she went into her purse to find her money and card. She had booked this place, but she _really_ should have checked the price on the menu before ordering. Feeling around in her purse, she started to search quicker. She had put her card in here, she knew she did.

Rachel sat patiently and every now and again, smiled at the waiter politely.

Two minutes passed and now Quinn had her purse up on the table and she was taking out all of the contents to spread them out of the surface.

"Quinn, would you like me to just pay?" Rachel asked, laughing lightly.

"No, I asked you out on this date; I pay," Quinn said distractedly, as she starting tipping her purse upside down.

"I don't even remember putting an apple in there…" Quinn wondered, as she placed the bruised apple to the side.

Rachel went into her own purse and got out her card and slipped it into the machine and after the waiter had entered the amount into it, Rachel quietly put her pin number in and the waiter handed her receipt and left with a smile.

Putting her purse over her shoulder and trying to hide the cream stain, Rachel got up off her chair and waited by the side of the table.

"Ready to go Fanlay?" Rachel grinned at the name.

Quinn was now shoving everything back into her purse, angry with herself for forgetting a vital part of the date; her freakin' credit card.

"But we haven't paid…" Quinn said, looking highly confused.

"Well, someone obviously hasn't been paying attention. I just paid, so let's get going," Rachel said matter-of-factly and gave Quinn a small smile.

The blonde puffed out some air and looked at Rachel with a half smile and a look of slightly annoyance.

"I was meant to pay Rach, I wanted to pay, I feel stupid now," Quinn said, as she got up out of her chair and walked with Rachel to the exit.

"You _are_ stupid for forgetting your card, but you can just pay next time," Rachel smiled cheekily.

"There'll be a next time?" Quinn perked up a bit now, grinned like the little kid she was on the inside.

"Of course," Rachel rolled her eyes playfully.

As they walked down the sidewalk to Quinn's parked car, the blonde slipped her hand into Rachel's arm and gave the brunette a quick side hug.

"I can't wait honeyboo," Quinn grinned, which resulted in a shove from Rachel.

Driving home with soft music playing in the car and Rachel humming quietly to the words, Quinn felt a jolt under her gas pedal. She ignored it, thinking they must have just hit a bump in the road, but then it happened again.

And again.

Quinn groaned to herself, when she thought that nothing else could go wrong on this date, but alas, she was wrong.

The car came to a stop in the middle of the road, only five minutes away from Rachel's house and Quinn just slammed her head to the steering wheel; much like Rachel had done when _her_ car had broken down.

"We really don't have much luck with cars, do we?" Rachel laughed.

"They suck," Quinn grumbled.

As silence fell upon them, while Quinn was figuring out how to get Rachel home, but not leave her car in a random road, Rachel suddenly spoke up.

"Hey! You can do your challenge now," the brunette was grinning.

"Challenge?" Quinn asked, quirking an eyebrow, finally looking to the girl next to her.

"You don't remember?" Rachel said, quirking her own eyebrow.

"This is definitely the face of someone who didn't remember," Quinn said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"On the day of the charity run, when my car broke down, you said that you would fix an engine in less than a month," Rachel grinned.

Quinn's mouth just fell open and she started to laugh.

"I can't fix an engine!" the blonde laughed.

"Then you fail your challenge," Rachel shook her head, in veined disappointment.

"But I don't want to fail…" Quinn pouted her lips out.

Rachel actually had to admit that Quinn did look cute when she did that, but no one could do a pout better than her. No one.

"Then fix the engine…" Rachel shrugged.

Quinn thought things over for a while, but just hung her shoulders and sighed.

"Fine, I failed the challenge," the blonde grumbled, "can we now please phone someone to come and tow my car?"

Rachel giggled, as she pulled out of phone and called her dad. The conversation had a lot of déjà vu about it. Michael just said he would come down with their car and tow Quinn's back with them.

As Quinn and Rachel squeezed into the Berry family car, Quinn couldn't help but feel really embarrassed. Michael was tying Quinn's car to theirs and Jason was asking Rachel about all the details of the restaurant and the food and _everything._ Quinn wanted to feel adult taking Rachel out for a date, but getting your date's _parents _to come and pick you up, made the blonde feel like the ultimate child.

As they pulled up outside the Berry house, Quinn asked Michael about what they should do with her car. He explained that he would take it to the garage for her tomorrow, seeing as she wouldn't be able to get it there herself. Thanking him greatly, she turned to Rachel and smiled at the brunette.

"This has been a great date, but let's just forget about all the things that went wrong," Quinn laughed, holding one of Rachel's warm hands.

"No, let's not forget about them, because they are what made the date… special," Rachel grinned, before leaning up and giving one quick kiss to Quinn's lips.

"Night Fanlay," Rachel said quietly, following her dad's inside.

Quinn was still smiling goofily because of Rachel's sweet kiss, but shook out of her thoughts when she realised Rachel was nearly in her house.

"Night to you, honeyboo!" Quinn said back, grinning madly.

Rachel just stuck her tongue out, and quietly shut the door behind her.

Walking home after saying their farewells, Quinn thought back over what her dad had told her earlier in the evening; _"…at the end of the day, you make your first date what you make it. It will be memorable no matter how it goes…" _

And Tony was certainly right once again. It was definitely memorable.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	14. Chapter 14

**N/A **You know the drill… I'm sorry for the long time it has taken me to update and I really do appreciate all my readers, I do :) Well, I know last time I said that I had gotten into University, which I had, but then due to money problems and the fact that Uni just wasn't for me yet, I have deferred for a year and am now working a full time job; hence why it has taken me so long to update. Also, I am writing a new Faberry fic, which is about an alien invasion and there are going to be three long chapters, coming out on three consecutive days in some month in 2013; keep a look out! I'm sorry, that was a pointless paragraph, which has nothing to do with this story, so just enjoy this chapter! :) Lotsa' love!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee… damn!

* * *

><p>Walking down the hallway to the kitchen, her slippers flapping against the laminated wood flooring, Quinn couldn't help but smile. For once, there was no shouting, no arguing and her dad looked content in just sitting at the breakfast bar reading the morning paper. She hated to think it but without her mom being here, it was so much more relaxing. It was only for this weekend and then it would be back to normal come Monday evening, so Quinn was just enjoying this time with her dad.<p>

Squeezing Tony's shoulder as she slowly walked by, the sleepy blonde went and grabbed a bowl and poured an unhealthy amount of Lucky Charms into it, letting some fall over the sides. Grabbing the milk and nearly missing the bowl whilst pouring some into her cereal, Quinn took it over to the breakfast bar to join her dad.

"What makes you rise this early? I'm pretty sure you never see this time of day on a Saturday," Tony chuckled, more to himself than anyone else.

Quinn stuffed a spoonful of charms into her mouth, before holding up a finger indicating to her dad to give her a minute. Chewing as fast as her tired jaws could go; she swallowed audibly and placed her spoon down to answer her dad.

"Well, if you say yes to what I'm about to ask you, I'll need to go shopping and set some stuff up and do some things, hence why I'm up early," Quinn babbled before shovelling more cereal into her mouth.

"That couldn't have been more cryptic," Tony said, looking confused.

"Okay, well, basically, can I have a party tonight? It's just with the glee club, a social gathering of sorts," Quinn smiled sweetly, as she munched away.

"Umm, I don't see why not. I'm out at Burt's tonight anyway for a poker night, so as long as you're sensible, I believe it will be fine," Tony nodded, before getting back to his paper.

"Of course we'll be sensible, no alcohol and the music will be at a reasonable level that it won't upset the neighbours," Quinn grinned proudly, finishing off her charms.

"I swear you sound more like Rachel every day," Tony mumbled to himself.

"What dad?" Quinn asked from the sink where she was washing out her bowl.

"Nothing hunny," Tony smiled.

The unaware blonde just grinned back, before jogging off to her room so that she could send out some invitations and get showered; she had some shopping to do.

Twenty minutes passed and Quinn was stepping out of her steaming ensuite and setting up her laptop, her phone was out of battery, so facebook would have to do.

Logging on and grinning at her password, _secretgarden_, she quickly typed a message to everyone in glee club.

_**Hey guys. Party/get together at mine tonight at 8. Bring music, snacks, movies or whatever :) Have loads of room for people to stay over if you can't get home. Hope you can make it. Quinn xx**_

Immediately, not even having time to check her homepage, someone had replied to the message.

_**Alcohol? I'll grab some on my way. – Santana Lopez**_

Quinn just rolled her eyes before typing out a quick response.

_**Not for this one San… - Quinn Fabray.**_

_**Boring. – Santana Lopez.**_

That made Quinn laugh, but the messages were coming in quickly; everyone must have been on this morning. For some weird reason, this actually made Quinn excited; no one ever seemed to be on when she was on!

_**Can Lord Tubbington come? xxx – Brittany Pierce.**_

_**Awesome! I'll be there. – Artie Abrams.**_

_**Britts, Lord Tubbs should stay at home… - Santana Lopez.**_

_**Yeah, cause you want her all for yourself ;) – Quinn Fabray.**_

Quinn just couldn't help herself, it had to be said.

_**Oh okay, I'll let him know. He's not going to be happy. – Brittany Pierce.**_

_**Two can play at that game Fabray… - Santana Lopez.**_

_**You have nothing on me :P – Quinn Fabray.**_

As soon as she wrote it, she regretted it. Santana had _plenty _on her, especially as most of glee club didn't know about Rachel and herself and nor were they going to… yet, not until Rachel was happy with it.

_**Sorry! I didn't mean it, let's end this… please? – Quinn Fabray.**_

_**I didn't even start it and also, you're no fun to blackmail… - Santana Lopez.**_

_**Sounds great, see you there everyone! x – Rachel Berry.**_

_**Thnks Quinn, should b gd but no forgetting me if we play sardines ok? Haha! – Finn Hudson.**_

_**How old are you Hudson? You still write like that? – Santana Lopez.**_

_**I firmly agree. Your use of bad grammar and spelling makes it incredibly hard to read. Finn? We will teach you how to write properly tonight, just bring a notepad and writing utensils, okay? – Rachel Berry.**_

_**Yay… - Finn Hudson.**_

_**I didn't sign up for teaching Hudson to write… I'm there to PARTY! – Santana Lopez.**_

_**Yeah, I'll see if I can make it. – Noah Puckerman.**_

_**We gotta do karaoke girl! – Mercedes Jones.**_

_**Sing a song with me 'Cedes? – Sam Evans.**_

_**WHIPPED! – Santana Lopez.**_

_**Shut up… - Sam Evans.**_

_**Me and Tina will be there :) – Mike Chang.**_

_**Sure, a party sounds fun, as long as Rachel and I can have a sing-off on the karaoke? – Kurt Hummel.**_

_**Bring it on Hummel ;) – Rachel Berry.**_

_**Oh it's on… it's so on! – Kurt Hummel.**_

_**Okay… well, it's sorted. See you guys at 8! xx – Quinn Fabray.**_

Logging off and finally drying her hair, Quinn smiled; she was really looking forward to tonight. Mainly because she would get to see Rachel again and also because she would be with all her friends, just having a laugh and of course, sing-offs!

After putting on some casual clothes, the blonde made her way to her car… but stopped in the middle of the drive when she realised that Michael was taking it to the garage today. _Dammit!_ Sighing loudly to herself, she started off down the sidewalk, annoyed that she would have to lug all the shopping home herself. When she was half way there she realised she didn't actually know what sort of things to get. Food, obviously, but what drinks would they want? Would they want party poppers?

_Damn… I really should have made a list._

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As Rachel logged off from her facebook she couldn't be more excited. She had never gone to a party before, mainly because no one had invited her to one before, but she tried not to think about that. Unfortunately there was one comment on the message that she couldn't get out of her head; Puck's. _**Yeah, I'll see if I can make it. **_Is that it? Rachel was so worried about it, but what made it even worse was that he wasn't letting her get close enough to help him. Was it still about him opening up to her about his feelings? Was something happening at home, as he rushed off the other day? The brunette kept going over every possible reason in her head but she would constantly come to a dead end. He was one of her best friends; her oldest friend and it hurt her so much that she couldn't even get him to talk to her.

Lying back on her bed, she played with her phone. She unlocked her screen and smiled when she saw her background, which of course was of the secret garden and had the sudden urge to ring Quinn; just to hear her voice and to chat about the party. As she went to scroll for Quinn's name, which she was planning on renaming 'Fanlay', she went past Puck's name and knew who she had to ring first.

As she placed the phone up to her ear, the dialling tone couldn't have been more intense. It felt like a ticking time bomb, as she had no idea how Puck would react to the phone call, or if he would even pick up at all.

As Rachel counted the dialling rings to 5 counts, a voice suddenly answered the phone.

"Hello?" a woman's voice answered.

"Oh hi, Mrs Puckerman?" Rachel asked; a little shocked to hear Puck's mom answer.

"Rachel! Oh hi, how are you my love?" Condy's voice lightened up when she was speaking to Rachel, she had always liked the girl.

"I-I'm okay thanks, y-yeah I'm fine, how are you?" Rachel was stuttering mainly because she was completely confused that she had intended to speak to Puck and now she was having a conversation with Condy. _Had they switched phones?_

"I'm getting along as usual… oh sorry; did you want to speak to Puck dear?" Condy asked, sounding as though she was moving around the house.

"I'm glad to hear you're okay Condy. Yes, if that's okay?" Rachel asked back.

"I will just go to his room now. His phone was left on the kitchen table; you know what he's like, always leaving his stuff lying around. He's been in his room a lot lately and he accidently leaves stuff in other rooms you see," Condy was going on as she made her way to the boy's room.

Rachel loved Condy, but boy could she talk a lot and that was coming from _Rachel._

The brunette sat patiently as she heard a faint knocking in the background and Puck shouting to his mom that it was okay to come in.

"Rachel's on your phone hunny," Condy spoke into the speaker, but Rachel knew the woman was blatantly talking to Puck.

There was some shuffling of the phone and a door being shut in the background before a sigh sounded in the speaker.

Rachel held her breath waiting for Puck to speak. Suddenly all her nerves came flooding back over her. Since he snapped at her after school last Monday, she was scared to start the conversation; even though she kind of had, since _she_ phoned _him_.

"Hello?" Puck asked, even though he must have known who it was.

"Hey Puck, it's Rach, just phoning up to see how you were?" Rachel said in a joyful tone, hoping it didn't come across as fake.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay thanks, you?" Puck answered with no real emotion in his voice.

Rachel cringed at how uncasual this conversation was flowing, but to be honest, she was finding this really hard. He wasn't putting anything into the conversation, so Rachel just cut to the chase.

"Yeah, I'm really good thanks. So, are you coming to the party tonight? As I saw you said you'll have to see if you can make it," Rachel asked. She really wanted to know what was wrong.

"Yeah well, like I said, I'll have to see," he replied.

"Are you busy then?" she asked back, trying to get deeper answers.

"I might be, I'm just not sure if I'm in the mood for a party Rach," Puck said, his voice breaking a little.

Rachel paused for a second. Puck's voice was so low and so emotionless that it actually scared Rachel. The boy who was usually full of witty comebacks and sarcastic comments was hiding somewhere for some reason that was unknown to the brunette, but she was determined to coax the boy out.

"What's wrong Puck? We can't ignore the fact that you ignored me at school, snapped at me the other day and are sounding so sad that it hurts. Please… just talk to me? I don't want to force you to speak, even though I kind of am, but it hurts me to see you like this," Rachel rambled, knowing well enough that her first approach was failing, so she just went ahead and put her concerns out there.

Another sigh filled the speaker.

"I don't feel like talking Rach, you won't understand. But, just give me some time, I'll think about coming to the party," Puck's voice was a little stronger but Rachel knew that it was only to make her back off a little.

"Okay… fine… but Puck? The party will be fun. I don't know what's wrong, even though I've gone over some reasons in my head and even then, I still have no clue what's going on but what I do know is that it's good to be with friends when you're feeling down. Just trust me; you should come to the party," Rachel ended it with a sweet smile even though the boy couldn't see. The thought of him sitting in his cramped up room, like his mom said he was doing a lot lately, as she was having fun with all of their friends made her want to cry. The boy needed a lift-up and she was going to make sure that he got just that.

"I'll think about it Rach. I've got to go now, see you tonight… maybe," Puck said; a hint of humour in his last word.

"Okay, see you soon Puck," Rachel said her goodbye, knowing she's done all she could do.

"Yeah… and you," Puck hung up after his goodbye.

Letting her arm fall to her side, Rachel blew a big puff of air up to the ceiling and closed her eyes. She needed to go for a run, a _long _run.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Making herself and her sister a ham salad, Santana was thankful that Quinn was throwing a party tonight; she needed to just get out of this damn house. Santana rarely talked about her home life in school, or to her friends, mainly because she didn't see the point. What happened with her family was their business and if she wasn't in danger then she didn't see why people had to know.

But as she walked to Bianca's room, she thought about when her little sister opened up to her about her sexuality and that she thought she could be gay. Santana wasn't surprised, her sister had never liked boys in the way she 'should' have and the girl was always incredibly curious into Santana and Brittany's 'relationship'.

But Santana was scared.

Scared because of what happened to Bianca on the night of the charity run and scared because being different is never good in a place like Lima. Lima wasn't exactly the most accepting place and unfortunately, for both Bianca and Santana, the Lopez family weren't the most accepting people either.

Santana had always promised herself that she wouldn't follow her mom's traits of being completely pathetic and weak, always giving in to people and bowing to her dad like he was the king of the world. She also promised herself that she wouldn't follow her dad's footsteps; becoming an alcoholic and abusive in his words and sometimes in his actions. That's why Santana was the way she was. She's just a girl who wants to be loved and liked, but she has a hard exterior as to not get hurt easily. Yes, in her past she has been harsh and mean to people, but only because she had to cope with her home life and unfortunately she wasn't coping with it in the right way. But now, she felt stronger and she felt loved, by Brittany, Quinn, Bianca and yes, she would reluctantly admit, Rachel as well… sort of. Now she felt as though she could cope with anything the world would throw at her.

Bianca only told Santana about her sexuality, as she wouldn't have dared told their parents. Giulia, Santana and Bianca's mom, was the most accepting adult of the Lopez family, but was too weak to stand up for what she believed in. Santana thought that her mom always knew that Santana liked Brittany as more than a friend, but Giulia ignored it, thinking that if she didn't think about it, it wasn't there; much like Quinn's mom had done with the beauty pageants. Santana wished her mom would be stronger, as her dad walked all over the woman. She loved her mom more than she showed, but she just wished Giulia would love herself.

As she got to Bianca's door, she knocked lightly and made her way into the small room. The girl's room was painted a light blue, with a dark blue carpet and posters stuck in random places on every surface of the place. Santana chuckled when she saw her little sis trying to stick up a new poster but having trouble trying to find space.

"You're really going to have to take some down if you want to put up new ones," Santana smiled as she placed her sister's salad onto the girl's desk.

"I don't want to, they all have a meaning to me, sort of," Bianca argued, finally deciding on sticking the new poster onto the side of her tiny wardrobe.

"Even this price sticker? _'Buy one get one free', _how does that have meaning to you?" Santana laughed as she tucked into her salad.

"It was the sticker from my first pack of Oreos. I love Oreos okay?" Bianca shrugged, which only made Santana laugh more.

They both ate in silence, as they looked around the little room, thinking about how many times they had had late night chats or secretly slept in the others room when they had nightmares. Santana's room was exactly opposite across the hallway, so it was easy to sneak across without their parents knowing.

"You okay B? Haven't been bothered by the Karofsky family at all have you?" Santana spoke up after finishing her salad, placing the plate on the floor next to her spot on the bed.

She leant across and calmly stroked Bianca's lip, checking the stitch. She then pressed ever so lightly on the swell above her eye, but was glad to see that her sister no longer flinched, which meant it was healing well.

Bianca swallowed her mouthful and smiled at her big sister. She was so happy and proud to be able to call the girl her sister, Santana had been there for her through everything. The first time she fell off her bike, the first time she lost a tooth, when she started becoming a _young lady _and everything that came with it and then, the biggest one, the time she opened up to her about being gay.

"Actually, I'm feeling okay. Megan has stayed away from me, which at first I was sad about, but in the long run, it's been much better. And nothing has happened since I got hurt that night, so, yeah, I think everything has been okay," Bianca smiled at Santana from across the bed.

"I'm really happy to hear that. Your thing for Megan was probably just a crush; I remember what they used to feel like, so it's probably best that she stayed away. You'll find someone and when you do, they will have to pass my test first, obviously," Santana winked.

"Oh god, you're not going to do the 'big sister talk' are you?" Bianca laughed just thinking about it.

"Of course I am. If they don't pass, I kick their ass… simple," Santana nodded.

"Sure," Bianca just nodded back, knowing that Santana was a big softie on the inside.

As they just laughed about how Santana would test Bianca's potential girlfriends, they heard the front door slam and they both immediately went quiet, listening out. As they heard approaching footsteps to their room, Bianca panicked and immediately jumped up off the bed and ripped the poster she had just put on the side of her wardrobe and shoved it under her pillow, before sitting back next to Santana. She shouldn't have put up a poster of Rihanna in a questioning pose, as it would only make her dad question things. _Sometimes it is just so darn hard hiding who you truly are._

"So, yeah, then the teacher told us to complete the task, which was really hard…"

As Bianca made up some random fake conversation, their dad, Damario, banged once on the door, breaking off the girl's sentence, as he stumbled into the doorway.

"Hey girls, what's going on?" Damario slurred, clearly intoxicated.

"We were just having a chat about school," Bianca said, sounding confident, but Santana knew the girl was scared inside.

"Cool, do homework, that's good. Umm, where's your mom? Oh! I'm going out in a bit, but don't worry, I'll be back by this evening. Some mates might come back, but I don't know yet," Damario hiccupped at the end and tried to close the door again, but failed, before he turned and made his way to what Santana could only assume was their mom and dad's bedroom, on his search for Giulia.

Santana was already boiling with rage after that small encounter with their dad. She wouldn't say she hated the man, as that's such a strong word, but she definitely didn't like him. He was constantly letting them down, saying he would pick them up from school then forgetting and making them walk the long way home, or telling them that he was going to AA and turning up drunk the same night. Santana was sick of it. So, she made it her personal mission to be the role model that Bianca needed.

As Santana was thinking in her head, Bianca was doing the same. The young girl was scared of her dad. He had never hit her or Santana, which was one thing she was so thankful for, but she had witnessed him hurting her mom and shouting rude things at the neighbours and that's why she was scared. If he could do it to her mom, what was stopping him from hitting her? She tried not to think about it. She was a strong girl, physically more than mentally, but she knew that Santana would not let anything happen to her. They stuck together.

"Hey, tell you what, you want to come to Quinn's party with me tonight?" Santana smiled, thinking that it would be better if Bianca was out of the house this evening.

"You're going out? You didn't tell me," the younger brunette moved her eyes away from her sister's.

"I forgot; I was planning on telling you, promise. So, you want to come? Quinn wouldn't mind, she practically sees you as her sister too," Santana chuckled with a smile.

"I don't know Sanny, it's all your friends and they're all older than me. I would feel like I was getting in the way," Bianca creased her eyebrows.

Santana moved so that she could hold her sister's soft, small hand in her own comforting one.

"They wouldn't mind at all, they know we come as a package sometimes," Santana laughed, "and also, Rachel will be there, you're good friends with her too."

Bianca smiled at the mention of Rachel, the girl had been amazing to her the night of the accident and Rachel had also tried to help the girl on Monday in the library.

"I actually have to apologise to Rachel. I was slightly cold with her the other day, she tried to ask me how telling you about my sexuality went and I snapped at her. I was just stressed as it was the morning after dad hit mom again," Bianca bowed her head, feeling guilty for leaving Rachel like she had.

"I'm sure the girl would understand, just next time you see her, explain you didn't feel well that day. Anyway, are you coming to the party?" Santana said as she moved to collect the plates.

"I'm not sure, I'll think about it," Bianca smiled at her sister.

"Okay, but just if you decide not to, be safe okay?" Santana looked at her seriously.

"Yes boss!" Bianca saluted Santana in a jokey manner, before nodding seriously when she could tell Santana wasn't in the mood for jokes.

The older Lopez sibling opened the door with her foot, as she walked down the short hallway to the stairs so that she could take the plates down to the sink.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The day shot past so quickly, as Quinn had done her shopping, had lunch out with her dad, finished off some homework, put the food out on plates and with the help of Tony, decorated the garden into a sparkling wonderland. The patio had beautiful fairy lights dangling from the big gazebo that her dad had put up over the table and chairs. The four, silver patio heaters were placed strategically on each corner of the patio to provide more than enough heat on the chilly evening air. The pool was uncovered, but only for the beautiful glow it permitted rather than the fact that people would go swimming; that would be _insane_ in this weather. It was only late September, but it seemed to be getting so cold lately. It was all planned and sorted; everything looked lovely.

So why did she feel so panicky? Okay, so it was the first time she was hosting a party, but it couldn't be that hard. People sort of made the party themselves; dancing, singing, chatting and having a laugh. But Quinn couldn't help but feel a little amount of pressure. Shaking her head as she checked her phone one last time, she saw the time change over to **19:38 **and knew that her friends would be arriving soon.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang twice and Quinn rushed in from the patio and nearly skidded down the hallway to open the front door. Tony had already gone out an hour ago to pop over to Burt's for a poker night, so Quinn was glad for the early company.

Fiddling with the latch on the door, the blonde swore under her breath as the lock chipped her perfectly manicured nails, but she let it slide; _no one ever really noticed the nails anyway._

Swinging the door open after two minutes of a struggle, a grin immediately formed on her lips as Rachel was fidgeting from the cold on the front step. Looking the girl up and down, Quinn realised that she may have a hard time hosting if Rachel would be walking around in _that._

"H… hi," Quinn stuttered, a little taken aback by how pretty Rachel was looking, "come in."

_Get your act together FANLAY. How can I though, look at her! Okay, fine, so her skirt is ridiculously short and her legs shouldn't be that long for such a short girl, and her hair looks way too shiny to be natural and her eyes couldn't be more adorable, but you need to sort it out! Look, you're practically dribbling! Stop thinking and let the poor girl in, she's freezing!_

"Well, you should probably move out the way after you say that, so that I can actually _get _in," Rachel laughed, as Quinn got the hint and shifted out of the way so the brunette could hop into the hallway.

"You look…" Quinn mumbled, but she gave up and just stared at Rachel's butt instead.

As the brunette noticed the other girl's silence, she just plopped her duffel bag onto the floor and stood up straight with her hands on her hips, not turning around to meet the blonde's eyes just yet.

"Want to finish that sentence Fanlay?" Rachel teased.

The brunette felt a little confident tonight, she truly did. Not in a big-headed way, not at all. In the sort of way that she had gotten ready and put on a black skirt that she wouldn't normally wear, a white long-sleeved, v-neck fitted jumper and a pair of gorgeous black high heels. She felt… well… she felt really good tonight; even her dad and daddy were speechless. She had freshly waxed her tan legs, used volume spray in her hair and applied a delicate layer of makeup. She felt sort of sexy. And right now, she was pleased with the reaction she was getting.

"Good, you look really good," Quinn lamely responded.

Now the brunette swirled round, resulting in the skirt fanning out a tad; this didn't help Quinn's situation.

"Just good?" Rachel's eyebrow rose as she walked towards the gawking blonde.

Quinn shook her head as Rachel's body got impossibly close to the lightheaded blonde. Quinn gulped once, before just giving in and sighing her answer out.

"No, you looking stunning, like, _really _stunning," Quinn bowed her head, getting embarrassed from her words.

This just made Rachel laugh. The brunette stepped back a bit and let her laughter fill the air, because seriously? Quinn's face was a picture. Rachel thought it was adorable that Quinn was getting flustered just from Rachel being in close proximity with the girl. It was so _cute_!

_I am so glad I wore this skirt! She is like blushing so much now, look at her! I think I'm going to start blushing now, look at what she's wearing. Shit, look at those jeans… could they BE any tighter?! And that jumper, it's like wrapping around her every curve… it's so pretty! Okay, now we're definitely blushing… SAY SOMETHING!_

"Thank you. You look incredibly lovely yourself," Rachel ducked her head a little.

After they both let the comments sink in and from a few minutes of just _being together_, Quinn spoke up.

"God, we're being so stereotypically soppy," Quinn laughed, winking at the shorter girl.

Rachel nodded in agreement and laughed along, before she walked away into the kitchen.

_Rule 1 of going to a party (not that she would know anyway); find the food!_

Letting out a little squeal when she saw that Quinn had made a platter of vegan food just for her, she walked over and immediately tucked into a tomato cracker; she was _so _hungry!

"Calm down Rach, that's to last the whole night," Quinn joked.

"I didn't have dinner because I was busy getting ready, so my bad if I eat all this before the others get here," Rachel grinned guiltily at the other girl just as the door bell rang through the house.

"I doubt that… they're here!" Quinn smiled, as she nearly skidded down the hallway once again.

_Damn, this floor is shiny!_

Opening the door more swiftly this time, she was greeted with the friendly faces of Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Mike and Artie.

"Hey you lot," Quinn smiled at her guests.

Even though she had seen them just yesterday, it was always more fun seeing them outside of the school buildings.

"Mercedes, you're looking lovely tonight," Quinn smiled as she hugged said girl.

"And damn, you've got a figure to die for girl," Mercedes hugged back, before studying the girl and nodding in definite approval.

Quinn just blushed at the compliment and moved on to hugging the others.

Nearly everyone had arrived as the doorbell rang through the house once again. It was only Sam, Finn and Puck to get to the party now and as Quinn opened the door, she smiled at the two boys and counted it down to only Puck being left; she wasn't surprised, he did seem a little distant lately.

"Hey you two," Quinn smiled pleasantly as she hugged both boys and let them into the hallway.

They both placed down their duffel bags onto the pile that was forming in a muddle in the corner of the lobby, but Finn lightly placed down a separate duffel bag carefully.

Quinn closed the door with her heel behind her as she watched Finn place the duffel down cautiously.

"Umm, is there an animal in there or something?" Quinn giggled, but then noticed the schoolboy looks on both of their faces.

Narrowing her eyes and pursing her plump lips, she walked up to the duffel bag and slowly unzipped it, but immediately stepped back and placed her hands onto her hips.

"Guys…" Quinn slowly announced, eyeing the bag.

They both said nothing, just looking at their shoes and fidgeting under Quinn's stern gaze.

She huffed and fully unzipped the bag to show the two why she was mad, even though they obviously knew because they packed the bag!

"I said no alcohol guys, so why do you have like a truck load in here?" She said, a little disappointment lacing her voice.

"I'm so sorry Quinn, I just kind of brought them just in case we wanted them later on or something," Finn said, a small pout on his lips.

"Yeah Quinn, we totally don't mean it disrespectfully, we… it's… just… well, we're like nearly eighteen now and we totally thought that it would be fine and there's not much in there anyway," Sam guiltily shrugged.

Quinn eyed the bag once again.

"Not much? That would get a whole ship of sailors drunk, so what do you think it's going to do to us lot?" Quinn questioned, trying to weigh up the pros and cons in her mind.

_Really, what's the problem? The problem is people will all get drunk and puke on our mom's couches and carpet! Well, they don't HAVE to get drunk? This is a party with teenagers, hormonal teenagers I might add, who are all hyper and ready to get down and there is alcohol involved and no doubt games of 'I have never' and 'truth or dare', because let's make it a COMPLETELY cliché party while we're at it… that's the problem! Oh well, a little alcohol will be fine._

Shaking her head as to stop talking to herself, mainly because Sam and Finn had started to look at her like she was crazy, she spoke up to the boys.

"Fine, take it into the kitchen… but if anything gets out of hand, I'm blaming you two and I get to push you in the pool," Quinn nodded and walked her way to the warm patio, where she snuggled next to Rachel and started chatting into the conversation, as Mercedes turned the music up.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


	15. Chapter 15

**N/A **Here's another chapter just for you guys. Once again, sorry for the delay in updates.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sadly.

* * *

><p>Soon, as it got to about half nine, the kitchen and warm patio were flooded with chatting, slightly tipsy, glee club members all smiling and mingling together. Quinn was laughing with Santana over the fact that Brittany was wearing the fruit bowl as a hat, because the girl said that it looked amazing. She had missed Santana, even though they had seen each other yesterday, but they hadn't got to talk that much at school, so having the chance to just relax and have a laugh was a great relief.<p>

Quinn made sure she hadn't drunk a lot herself, as she was the host after all. So, sipping on her Bacardi Breezer, she was smiling as she looked around the patio and into the bright kitchen. Rachel was singing along with the music as she clung to Kurt, while the boy unwillingly held her up and sang along, trying to hit more notes than the petite girl. Mercedes, Tina and Brittany were all having a dance off near the pool and Quinn kept getting nervous each time one of them danced nearer to the edge. _That wasn't going to end well._ Sam, Finn, Mike and Artie were all playing a drinking game around the kitchen island and Mike was bopping and locking each time he won a round. As she let a smile form on her lips, she was about to walk over to ask if Rachel wanted another drink (or a glass of water would probably be more appropriate), but as she did so, the doorbell chimed throughout the house, getting the attention of most of the club members.

"I'll just go and see who it is," Quinn smiled, letting everyone to get back to what they were up to.

Rachel detached herself from Kurt, much to his relief and she walked, well, _skipped_, over to Quinn and walked with her through the house.

"It could be Puck, he did say he might come," Rachel smiled, as she chewed on the straw extending from her bottle.

Rachel was mentally hoping it was Puck, just because then he could have fun! She was a little tipsy, so everything seemed great right now and she wanted to share that with the boy, he needed to have some entertainment in his life. So, when Quinn unlocked the door and opened it to reveal said boy, a small smile on his lips, Rachel cheered a little and jumped across the threshold to hug him around the shoulders.

Puck was a little shocked when a _very _happy Rachel sprung into his arms, but he wasn't annoyed, he hadn't properly seen the girl in ages. But just as quickly as the hug began, Rachel was pulling away.

"I'm glad you came Puck," the brunette smiled in his direction, before she ran back through the house and into the kitchen.

"PUCK'S HERE GUYS!" was heard as Rachel shouted the arrival out to the others.

"She's had a little bit to drink," Quinn said as an explanation.

"That, or she's high," Puck laughed along, trying not to let the situation turn awkward.

"Come in, we're all just chilling in the garden," Quinn said politely, making her way to the kitchen.

Puck smiled back, before dumping his bag along with the rest of them and heading after the blonde. So many thoughts were running through his muddled mind and as soon as he entered the bright, loud kitchen, where everyone was dancing, including Rachel and Quinn, he thought that maybe coming wasn't the best idea. _He needed a drink._

Brittany was showing off her dance skills, when an upbeat song came on, but she soon realised that she had been drinking quite a lot, so her accuracy skills weren't what they used to be. As she turned around to do a back flip onto the grass, she completely misjudged the distance and went feet first into the pool. The splash rang out loudly, just loud enough to be heard over the music and everyone turned to see the commotion. Some were concerned and some were trying to hold back their laughter.

"Thank the god of ducks that this is a heated pool!" Brittany chimed up, making everyone burst into giggles, as she pushed herself out of the water.

Leaving a trail of water behind her, Brittany sloppily made her way over to Santana, who was now in the kitchen with Rachel and Quinn.

"San, I got wet," Brittany said with a little sadness in her voice, because this was her favourite duck top.

But unbeknownst to the blonde, Santana ears had immediately perked up when the girl, who she had fallen so badly for, mentioned that she had got… _wet._ The brunette knew what context Brittany was talking about, but she sure as hell wasn't thinking about it in _that_ context. So now, her ears weren't the only things that had perked up.

"Okay, well, we must get you cleaned up then right," Santana rushed out, immediately grabbing Brittany by the wrist and running up the stairs to the guest bathroom.

"I can get you some towels!" Quinn shouted after them, but was just met with the slam of a door from upstairs, "or not, that's cool too."

Rachel detached herself from the blonde, as she burst into laughter, trying not to spill her drink.

"What's so funny Rach?" Quinn asked, starting to laugh a little at the brunette.

"I-I bet, the-they are _totally_ going to h-have sex!" Rachel burst into more laughter, but this time failed to keep her drink in her cup.

Quinn's eyes slightly widened at Rachel's announcement, but just shivered off the goose bumps and blamed it on the dropping temperature outside.

"Yeah, they probably will be," Quinn laughed; a little flustered.

Rachel just nodded along, before walking, well, _stumbling,_ out to the threshold of the kitchen joining the hallway. Before Quinn could understand what Rachel was doing, the brunette lifted her head and shouted up into the house.

"You go Santana! Have fun! Don't go breaking the guest bed!"

The girl then skipped back into the kitchen, before grinning at Quinn, giving her a subtle, sweet kiss on the cheek before grabbing another cup of drink and walking onto the patio.

"Spin the bottle!" Rachel shouted with a grin, letting the ending syllable of 'bottle' sound out longer than the rest.

Quinn came out of her trance of the cheek kiss, before slapping her hand to her forehead and going after Rachel. As she passed Finn sitting at the kitchen island, she grabbed his shoulder.

"This my friend," she said as she pointed to Rachel, who was squishing Kurt's face up in her hands, much to the boy's dismay, "is why we don't bring alcohol to parties."

Finn just laughed under his breath, as he motioned to the rest of guys to follow them onto the patio.

People were situating themselves in a circle, either sat on the edge of low chairs, or on blankets and cushions in a circle. Quinn slightly turned the outdoor heaters up and turned them to face the forming circle of friends. She knew as soon as Rachel pushed her now empty cup to the side, that spin the bottle was _such_ a bad idea, plus it was completely cliché.

_Oh well_, Quinn thought, _you're only young once._

Plopping herself down next to Rachel, she crossed her legs elegantly and lightly put her hand onto the small of Rachel's back, earning a big grin from the brunette. The blonde's stomach butterflies were still there, even just from a little bit of contact on Rachel; it would never get old.

"Santana! We're playing spin the bottle!" Rachel shouted up at the window on the outside of the house, which she guessed could be the guest bedroom.

Quinn shook her head, not really understanding why Rachel was shouting at her bedroom window, when Santana and Brittany were in the guest bedroom at the front of the house, but she let it slide.

Even though people assumed Santana and Brittany were not coming down to play, soon a giddy blonde and smirking brunette came strolling onto the patio, placing themselves between Artie and Mike.

"You called Berry?" Santana winked at the smaller brunette, as she drunkenly stroked Brittany's thigh, much to Artie's discomfort.

Quinn inwardly cringed when she saw Artie shifting in his seat and eyeing Santana's hand; so gross.

"Right guys, who's first?" Rachel grinned, slightly bouncing on her knees that she was sitting on.

"You picked the game, you go first," Puck mumbled, swigging drunkenly from his sixth bottle of beer.

Quinn narrowed her eyes at the boy, not liking his attitude against Rachel, but calmed easily when Rachel interlocked their fingers in between them, obviously feeling Quinn becoming agitated.

"Okay, I will," Rachel said confidently, leaning forward and spinning the bottle into a whirlwind of circles.

The small brunette closed her eyes, not wanting to see who it landed on. Luckily, she couldn't feel how tense Quinn was next to her; the blonde literally looked like she was scared stiff.

"Sam!" Santana burst into a fit of laughter, not really sure why she found it that hilarious, but ran with it anyway.

The blonde boy gave a small sideward smile to the group, as he blushed a little because Rachel was totally hot when drunk, but he wouldn't tell that to the scowling diva next to him.

"It's just a game," Sam slightly shrugged his shoulders towards his girlfriend, before pecking her on the cheek and moving into the middle of the circle.

Rachel giggled towards Quinn, finding it funny that she was about to kiss the guy with _the _biggest lips.

Quinn sighed a little; Sam was harmless. Tapping Rachel on the back lightly, she nudged the brunette towards the middle.

"Jeez, just kiss already," Puck mumbled once again, before leaning back onto his hands and training his eyes on the brunette in the middle.

No one really heard him, what with the music still playing fairly loudly in the corner, but one particular blonde did and she didn't like it one bit.

"Hey you," Rachel said slowly, hugging Sam firmly before pulling back.

"Uh-you, hey you too," Sam said, feeling a little anxious knowing his girlfriend's eyes were directed solely on him.

"Shall yo-we, shall we kiss?" Rachel grinned, holding onto his shoulders.

"It is the point of the game," Sam laughed nervously.

Before any more could be said, Rachel leaned forward, capturing his lips with hers and moving smoothly. Sam closed his eyes and kissed back, his arms hanging awkwardly at his sides.

_Shit, these are really massive lips! How do he and Mercedes kiss so easily? Maybe it's the alcohol making them feel bigger. Yeah that's it. It's the alcohol._

"Alright you two, break it up! I own those lips," Mercedes shouted up as she pulled Sam back from the kiss and wiped at his lips, giving him a cheeky smile, letting the boy know that she wasn't actually angry.

"Whaaaaay! Sam, your go!" Rachel says as she sits back down next to Quinn, leaning into the blonde's shoulder.

Quinn still couldn't believe that she was with Rachel, in whatever this was. _What was this? _She would admit that there was always this tiny, little, nagging doubt in the back of her mind that one day Rachel would move on; realising that this was just a girl crush that would go away. The blonde knows what she is; she's gay. She really didn't like labels, but if someone needed an answer, then yes, she was gay. But Rachel? Rachel hadn't really said much about how she _really_ felt about their situation. The brunette had said all those amazing things when they had first kissed and they had had a great time last night on their date, but Quinn needed to know exactly what Rachel wanted. It was early days, but Quinn was enjoying it too much to let anything get in the way.

The blonde boy sat forward and spun the bottle, crossing his fingers that it landed on his beautiful girlfriend next to him, but alas not. His eyes grew impossibly wide as the bottle came to a stop in front of a highly intoxicated Noah Puckerman.

"Oh crap," Sam muttered under his breath.

He didn't have a problem with it being a guy, not at all, he was more than cool with it because he was very confident in his sexuality that it didn't bother him; it was more the fact that Puck looked like he was about to puke any second and Sam really didn't want to be on the end of that encounter.

Puck rolled his eyes and took another swig from his beer bottle, swatting away Artie's hand when the boy tried to stop him from drinking any more.

"Let's get this over with then," Puck said, getting to his knees and shuffling to the middle of the circle, stumbling a little.

Everyone had to admit that they were all slightly uncomfortable with Puck's presence. The boy had been a little distant for ages; some people took note of his attitude and ignored it, and some were more concerned, but didn't feel they had the right to speak to him. Rachel furrowed her eyebrows for a split second at the boy, before a wave of warmth took over her body from the alcohol and soon all she could think about was the softness of Quinn's top under her fingertips.

Sam shuffled reluctantly into the middle of the circle and licked his lips just a little as they were dry. _Damn, he needed to buy more chap stick._

Puck grabbed hold of the lower part of Sam's arm and looked into the blonde's eyes. They both _really_ didn't want to do this, for completely different reasons. Sam really didn't want to be puked on and Puck couldn't be assed with any of this shit right now.

"Let's make this quick," Sam said with a little nervous chuckle at the end.

"Shut up and just kiss me dude," Puck slurred.

Sam closed his eyes for a second as he shot his head forward and pecked the bald guy's lips, immediately retreating at the high amount of alcohol he could taste on Puck's lips.

"That was no way a proper kiss!" Finn laughed, giving a small friendly wink to Sam, who was now rushing back and grabbing Mercedes hand and holding onto her.

Sam wiped over his lips with the back of his hand and leaned over to whisper to Mercedes, not letting others hear him.

"He is completely smashed, should we do something?" Sam said quietly.

Mercedes eyed Puck once more, as said boy fell down onto the floor where he was previously sitting before getting out his phone, obviously not realising that it was upside down.

"Not yet, let's give him his go and then we can see if he wants us to take him home," Mercedes answered back, not really knowing what to do with Puck.

Sam just nodded back, before he looked around the group. Quinn caught his eye and shook her phone in his direction. Sam didn't understand at first but when his phone vibrated in his jeans pocket, he got the hint.

Looking down at the bright screen, he went to quickly reply before Puck began to spin the bottle for his turn.

**Should we do something about Puck? I don't like how he's acting. Q x**

**Mercedes thinks we should let him have his go and then we'll take him home for you. Sam x**

Quinn speedily read her reply from Sam. She was hesitant to let the boy stay any longer; he was making it awkward for everyone here. The blonde could tell that something was going on with Puck, everyone could tell that, but it still didn't mean that she appreciated him being rude and drunk at her party. She bit her lip, agreeing that letting him have his go would only be fair, before she looked up and nodded to Sam, silently agreeing to his text.

Puck's fingers spun the bottle at a fast pace, as everyone waited to find out who was going to have to kiss him.

"Who'ya texting?" Rachel chirped up from beside Quinn, smiling giddily.

"You're so drunk Rach," Quinn shook her head and tucked some of Rachel's hair behind her ear.

"And _you _are so pretty under the moonlight," Rachel grinned, going in to kiss Quinn's cheek, but someone shouting stopped her movements.

"Rachel! It's you," Sam shouted, having seen the bottle stop on the brunette girl.

Rachel sat back and bit her lip. _She had to kiss another person?_ The bottle really liked her tonight. She wasn't going to lie; she really didn't know what was going on right now. All she knew was that Puck was on his knees shuffling into the middle of the circle, Finn was looking at her with concerned eyes, Santana was eyeing her curiously and Quinn had stiffened considerably next to her. Something didn't feel right about her kissing Puck, not after he told her only a couple of weeks ago that he liked her and something was obviously affecting him right now, judging by the amount of alcohol he had consumed tonight, so would kissing him make him more depressed? But this was just a game. Maybe one kiss would be like closure between her and Puck, almost as a goodbye of those feelings. Or maybe if something was really making him upset at home or something, then the kiss would make him feel better. Rachel nodded her head to herself and used Quinn's knee to help push herself to her knees.

Quinn just wanted to grab Rachel's arm and sit her back down; not because she was jealous of Puck kissing the brunette, but more because she didn't really like the fact that Rachel and Puck were both drunk and the boy stunk of alcohol, and also because he was smirking lazily.

Finn nibbled his lip. This wasn't good. Rachel was drunk; she didn't really know what she was doing. Puck was obviously completely pissed out of his brains, so he wouldn't be able to control himself and Finn had his ideas about why his friend had been so depressed lately.

Finn decided he should try and make Rachel sober up a bit, so he spoke up above the quiet chatter of the group.

"Just remember the rules guys, you don't have to do it if you don't want to," he said, even though his eyes never left the slightly hazy eyes of Rachel.

A slight amount of doubt flashed in Rachel's eyes, before it was replaced with the fuzz of adrenaline, probably due to the alcohol that was still smoothly flowing through her blood stream.

She moved forward a little bit more, until her body was nearly flush with Puck's. His boozy breath filled her nostrils and that's when it hit her.

This wasn't right.

As her brain started to sober up the slightest amount, she didn't have time to change her mind before wet lips crashed into her, knocking the air out of her and causing a little squeak to escape her lips.

Quinn flinched a little at the way that Puck's arm immediately wrapped around Rachel's waist to keep her in place. The blonde's mind became incredibly curious and protective when Puck's hand trailed up the brunette's arm and cupped Rachel's neck.

Other members around the circle started to look around at each other, all having the same confused and concerned expression lacing their features. Mercedes and Sam could see Rachel trying to pull away a little, her hands gripping onto Puck's hips. Puck lets out a little groan and moves closer, kissing Rachel deeply.

The brunette had completely sobered up as much as her mind would let her and she wanted to cry. Why hadn't she seen this before? She wanted to punch herself. Of course the boy wasn't over her! He never had been! The friendly texts that he had sent her after her first kiss was obviously just a cover up of his true feelings. The fact that he didn't want to spend time with her, or the fact that each time she tried to touch him he would flinch and get angry, couldn't have been more obvious. She was angry at herself and now she was becoming angry and sad that Puck was completely taking advantage of this moment.

One of the boy's hands was cupping Rachel's neck possessively, as his other hand was gripping her hip.

Quinn was seeing the whole ordeal and started to move up onto her knees, her hands balled up into fists by her sides. This was a game, but Puck was taking this too far. Something was going on and Quinn didn't like the way he was gripping onto her girlfrie… friend, her friend like that. They weren't even official yet, so technically she didn't have the right to be protective over the brunette, but Puck knew about them, Puck knew about their kiss and how they were trying something new, so how could he so blatantly take advantage of Rachel in front of her like this?

Rachel tried to move her face away from Puck's, but the boy whispered desperately into her ear.

"As soon as you pull away, this won't be real. Please, just please."

Rachel felt a single tear fall down her cheek, before it was kissed away by Puck and he captured her lips once more. She felt angry and sad, confused and mad at herself. She shouldn't have kissed him. Someone save her from this? She didn't have the heart to push him away from her like she so desperately wanted to do, so she just hoped that someone would do it for her.

"That's enough now guys," Quinn said, moving to stand behind Rachel and grip onto the back of the brunette's top, lightly tugging at it.

Puck started to sniff and that's when Rachel realised that boy was crying. What has happened? This was all wrong.

Quinn casted her eyes onto Finn and silently pleaded him to help her right now. This wasn't how tonight was meant to go, not at all. She noted to herself that she was going to have to have stern words with Finn and Sam and tell them off for bringing alcohol and then have a talk with Puck about what the hell he thinks he's doing.

Finn nodded and quickly moves and tugs Puck back by the shoulder, ultimately ending the kiss, much to Rachel's relief and much to Puck's dismay.

Rachel immediately turns around and collapses into Quinn's arm, letting her sobs die into the comfort of the blonde's top, the wet stains not affecting Quinn at all. The blonde hadn't even known Rachel was crying, she couldn't see from her angle, but now that fact was known by her, her curiosity and anger rose to a new level.

Puck tried to shrug Finn off him, but failed as Finn was slightly stronger. His eyes scanned over his friends in the circle and all he saw was disappointment and worry looking back at him. This just made him angrier. They knew nothing! They didn't know how he had been feeling for months!

"Dude, let's go for a talk," Finn whispers into Puck's ear.

This makes the boy see red. He looks around and sees Quinn holding Rachel in her arms, the blonde girl looking at him with an expression of anger, inquisitiveness and complete frustration. Puck knew that his arms were meant to be around Rachel, not Quinn. He knew that the blonde made Rachel happy, but he could make her happier; she wouldn't need anything else. Puck struggles to hold in his tears of frustration and sadness as Rachel looks up at him for a split second before a fresh wave of tears fall down her cheeks and she's back in Quinn's arms. He didn't want to feel this way, he didn't! If he could just see her as a friend, then this would be so much easier!He didn't want to love her, he truly didn't, but it was hard…

Finally deciding to leave, he grunts loudly, kicking over the table which had some drinks on it and shouting angrily at nothing and no one in particular. He reluctantly lets the tired tears fall again, as he storms into the house, heading straight for the bathroom; he needed to get this damn alcohol out of his body.

Sam and Mercedes immediately looked to Quinn, who gave them a little nod and they both ran into the house after a clearly upset and angry Puck.

As Kurt turned the music down a fraction and sat down next to Tina, they fell into a discussion about what the hell just happened, while Finn moved closer to Rachel and Quinn.

Rachel finally lent back from Quinn's embrace and wiped away her tears. Quinn felt hopeless and completely confused about everything right now. She regrets having this party at all. Why couldn't a party ever end well?

Rachel starts to mumble angrily to herself about the fact that she should have never kissed Puck, that she knew it was wrong the moment his breath hit her lips. Quinn then turned her head to Finn as he started to mumble quietly that it was just a game and that Puck was the one to take it too far and that she shouldn't blame herself.

"Whoa, what's going on guys?" Quinn finally speaks up; holding Rachel's hand in one of hers and lightly gripping Finn's lower arm in her other hand.

Rachel sniffs back her last tears and stops Finn from answering by holding her hand up. She needed to tell Quinn herself, the blonde should know from her.

"Quinn, I promise that I will explain to you soon about why what happened really shouldn't have, but right now, can I just go for a walk with Finn? He knows some stuff and I really need to just talk right now," Rachel says quietly, the whole time squeezing Quinn's hand reassuringly.

Quinn deflated when Rachel asked if she could go for a walk, the blonde really just wanted to hug Rachel and never let go after what happened; she hated seeing the brunette cry when it wasn't from laughing too much. Quinn was sad that she was missing out on something that is obviously making Rachel sad, but she nods nonetheless. Rachel and Finn were good friends, they clearly needed a talk.

"You don't have to ask me permission Rach," Quinn says with a small smile, leaning in and hugging Rachel before she smiles at Finn and walks over to chat with Kurt and Santana.

Finn lets Rachel lead the way and they walk just through the bushes and come to the wall at the end of the garden, Rachel giving a small smile when she spots Quinn's gate to the secret garden; god, how she so just wanted to go in there and lock herself away for a while, preferably with Quinn in there as well.

Finn stopped with her and they both took a seat on the floor and lent back against the wall, looking up at the stars.

"I shouldn't have done that," Rachel started.

"Probably not," Finn agreed.

Silence surrounded them for a little while as they both just took in the quiet talking of their friends down the front of the garden and the humming of the music flowing through the night time air.

"He still likes me doesn't he? He never got over me," Rachel says quietly.

"It's only been a couple of weeks and yeah, I think you're right. Puck being okay with you and Quinn at the beginning was most probably all an act," Finn said, pursing his lips in concentration.

Rachel just silently thought some things in her mind, wanting to rewind time and never kiss Puck.

"I should have known; I should have seen the way he acted around me or the way that he never hung out with me. I started to think it was something happening at home, I never thought that it was actually _me _making him act out of character," Rachel groaned, letting her head fall into her hands.

"You know what we need to do?" Finn said, turning to look at his friend.

"Please, tell me," Rachel said, looking up.

"We need to give him space, you need to start your friendship with him slowly and I need to get him a girlfriend," Finn said, nodding at his plan.

Rachel looked contemplative before nodding her head as well. It wasn't a great plan, but it was a plan nonetheless, plus, she didn't have any better ideas, which was truly uncommon for her.

"I think that'll work. I'll let him come to me if he wants to talk, I'm not going to force him to speak," Rachel said.

They both just shared a look of agreement before letting their heads fall back against the wall once more. Rachel thought back over her time with Finn and was really glad that she had the guy by her side, but then she remembered something they had talked about some time ago; now seemed the perfect time for Finn to tell her.

"Hey," Rachel said, as Finn turned his attention towards her, "you know on Monday you said there was more to the whole Kurt thing than people realised? Can you tell me about it?"

Finn smirked as he knew Rachel would remember he said that, plus he did promise that he would tell her about it and the girl would want a distraction from everything that just happened, so of course the boy would tell her.

He made himself a little more comfortable, moving his butt a little.

"Well, what did you see when everything happened?" Finn asked, thinking it might be easier to get her view first.

"Umm, one day you were moving in with the Hummel's, the next day Kurt came out as gay and then the next day you came in and completely ignored Kurt and would move away each time the boy tried to come near you. It sort of looked bad, but I'm guessing by the fact that you are about to tell me about it, it wasn't bad," Rachel explained.

"No, it wasn't bad. I wasn't being mean or homophobic, but when you put it like you just did, it does seem that way," Finn started, "well, when I moved in with the Hummel's, everything was okay. Then, like you said, a couple of days later Kurt came out to everyone, which I was totally cool with, even expressing to him that I totally supported him and was there if he needed me. But… I think he took this the wrong way. The next night, he told me that he was struggling with some thoughts and that he needed to do something. I was completely confused until he pushed into me and kissed me. Like, really kissed me. I was majorly shocked, so I pushed him back. But he saw this as me being mean and he told Mercedes that I hit him because he was gay. Things were a little rough between us and I told him that I didn't have a problem with him being gay, as long as he didn't try to push it onto me and take advantage of me living with him. I gave him space by sleeping in the living room and I didn't speak to him until he was ready to talk with me. By the time he talked to me, he said that he was over his little crush and that he was really sorry. So, that's why it looked like I was ignoring him in school; but I wasn't, I was giving him space. It's what he needed. It's what Puck needs."

Rachel had listened intently to the whole story, completely understanding everything now and feeling good that she knew the real reason behind it all.

"That all makes so much sense now," Rachel said in whispery voice.

"I know, but it also helps us with the Puck thing. You just need to do what I did, give him space and let him come to you. Just trust me," Finn smiled sweetly.

"I do," Rachel smiled back, finally feeling a little better.

"Want to head back?" Finn asked, pushing himself off the ground.

"Yeah, sure," Rachel replied, letting Finn pull her from the floor.

"That's good, because my ass was getting numb," Finn laughed awkwardly.

Rachel just shook her head as she giggled a little.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As they make their way back to the party, it looks like most people had completely forgotten what had happened already; it was old news. Sam was showing Mike how to make a _proper_ paper airplane, as Quinn was showing Tina how to moonwalk.

Quinn walked up to them and explained that Mercedes had driven Puck home after the boy had been sick twice in the upstairs bathroom, but luckily Sam had cleaned it up. Rachel was glad that Puck had gone home, not just for herself but for Puck as well; he needed space from her and she needed space from him.

"Is everything okay?" Quinn asked, looking earnestly into Rachel's eyes.

"It will be," Rachel said, leaning forward into Quinn's space, "can we talk about this whole... _thing_ tomorrow? I really just want to enjoy the rest of the night."

Quinn nodded, because really, she didn't want to have to talk about Puck right now either, she was still mad at him. She may not know the real reason behind what he had done, but she sure as hell wasn't going to forgive him quickly. Everyone was meant to be staying over anyway, so there would be plenty of time for Rachel and Quinn to talk tomorrow afternoon, or whenever they decided to wake up. Right now though, she wanted to just dance and play board games, because… why not?

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

As the clock turns to 2:38am, people were starting to dance slower and snuggle with each other around the patio heaters. They were going to head in soon, but something about the night sky, quiet music and slightly warm air was really comforting.

Tony had slipped into the house in the early hours but didn't want to disturb the kids, so went up to his bedroom and tiredly texted Quinn to let her know that he was back, but would stay in his room. _If only he knew what has gone down tonight._

As Quinn was just about to sit down with Rachel on one of the bean bags and have a chat, there was a loud knock at the door.

Everyone shared confused looks, because really… who would be knocking at this time of night, well, morning?

Quinn just shoots everyone a smile and inwardly hopes it's not an axe-wielding murderer, because really, that wouldn't be pleasant.

Jogging through the hallway, Quinn tries to look out of the peep hole, but can't see anyone, so she just opens the door slowly and peeks out. Her eyebrows furrowed quickly and she opened the door fully, looking confused and slightly worried to see the girl.

"Umm, Bianca? Is everything okay? Has something happened to you again?" Quinn asks cautiously, not really liking the idea that Bianca has walked, or ran by the exhausted expression on the girl's face, at this time of the morning to her house.

The blonde pulls the girl close and hugs her tightly waiting for the young girl to answer, but crushing the air out of Bianca's lungs probably wasn't speeding up the answering process.

Bianca steps back and wipes the small amount of sweat from her forehead before shaking her head in answer to the blonde's question.

"I just need to see my sis," Bianca says, giving Quinn a weak and hardly believable smile.

Quinn nods worryingly and leads her through the kitchen and onto the patio. Santana was being taught how to properly body roll by Brittany when Bianca made her way over. Rachel sees the young brunette and immediately smiles and runs over to hug Bianca, but she looks confused when Bianca doesn't really hug back much but carries on with her journey over to her sister.

"Is she okay?" Rachel asks Quinn as they follow the young girl.

"I hope so," Quinn replies, taking Rachel's hand in hers.

Bianca quietly coughs to make her presence known and Santana turns around once to see who interrupted her, but then had to do a double take when she realised it was her sister. Confusion and worry immediately shoot through her but she tries to remain calm and keep a cool façade.

"Bianca, why are you here?" Santana tries to smile, but when her sister looks down at her hands and starts to fidget, Santana's attempt of a smile vanishes all together, "sis, what's happened?"

Bianca swallows before finally looking up at her sister and nibbling her lip.

"Can you come home now?" she says with a tear in her eye.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~


End file.
